Arizona man sentenced to federal prison for sexually assaulting teen after she passed out

An Arizona man was sentenced to more than seven years in prison earlier this month for sexually assaulting a teenager on the Navajo Nation, authorities announced Wednesday.

Ernest Larry Tabaha, 65, of Fort Defiance, gave alcohol to a teenage girl in 2024 until she “became highly intoxicated and passed out,” according to a United States Attorney’s Office District of Arizona news release.

Tabaha sexually assaulted the victim while she was unconscious.

He previously pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the teenager and will have 15 years of supervised release following his prison sentence.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Flagstaff office and the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety.

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