Man pleads guilty to child sex abuse

PHOENIX - After pleading guilty to abusive sexual conduct of a minor, Marvin Benally is looking at spending the next 15-25 years of his life in a federal prison.

Benally, 60, hometown unknown, was arrested June 22, by Arizona FBI agents and charged with three counts of sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 13, aggravated sexual abuse and production of child pornography.

Under the plea agreement, a recommendation was made by the U.S. Attorney's Office of between 15 and 25 years in prison.

The sentencing recommendations, however, are not binding on the court, the plea agreement states. His formal sentencing date has not been set.

In his plea agreement, four other charges were dropped.

According to his indictment, Benally engaged in a sexual act with a child under the age of 13 on the Arizona portion of the Navajo Reservation between Nov. 7, 2015, and Nov. 6, 2016. He is also accused of having sexual contact with the same accuser three times after Nov. 7, 2016.

The pornography charge stems from an accusation from Nov. 29, 2016, when he allegedly took nude photos of the accuser while she was sleeping.

Under the plea agreement, once he is released from prison, he will register as a sex offender and shall enroll in a sex offender treatment and counseling program.

He also agreed to make a financial restitution to the victim at an amount to be determined by the judge with the stipulation of no more than $100,000. As part of this, Benally has agreed to give a full accounting of his financial assets to the court.