ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Julian Silversmith, 44, of Jones Ranch, New Mexico, was sentenced in federal court on Jan. 28 to nine years in prison for one count of interference with interstate commerce by robbery and violence and one count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence in Indian Country. Co-defendant Aurelius Eddie, 20, of Vanderwagen, New Mexico, was sentenced also Jan. 28 to twelve years in prison for one count of interference with interstate commerce by robbery and violence, one count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of assault with a dangerous weapon in Indian Country. Both defendants are members of the Navajo Nation.
Silversmith pleaded guilty on Aug. 12, 2019, while Eddie pleaded guilty on Sept. 19, 2019.
According to their plea agreements and other court records, on April 18, 2019, Silversmith drove co-defendants Eddie and Kevin Marquez, 22, of Gallup, New Mexico, to a convenience store in Vanderwagon, knowing that they intended to rob the store. As Eddie and Marquez entered the convenience store, they began waving firearms, and Eddie fired a round into the ceiling. They then proceeded to steal alcohol from the refrigerators and behind the counter while Marquez pointed his firearm at the clerk. Eddie admitted that following the robbery he fired a round at two Navajo Police officers.
The crimes were committed on the Navajo Nation.
Upon release from prison, Silversmith and Eddie will be subject to three years of supervised release.
Marquez pleaded guilty on Sept. 26, 2019, to one count of interference with interstate commerce by robbery and violence, one count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. On Jan. 27, 2021, Marquez was sentenced to seven years in prison and three years of supervised release.
The office of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the McKinley County Sheriff’s Department and Navajo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Spindle and Frederick Mendenhall prosecuted the case.
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