Report finds no crime committed by Navajo Nation president

An outside investigation found that sexual harassment allegations against Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren do not “constitute a violation of criminal law” or a violation of tribal policies, the tribe’s attorney general announced Monday.

The recommendation follows a monthslong investigation by an Albuquerque law firm into allegations against Nygren made in April by Navajo Nation Vice President Richelle Montoya.

The nation has been rocked by political upheaval since Montoya took to social media to publicly discuss allegations of intimidation and sexual harassment within the administration. Nygren publicly demanded Montoya’s resignation in October while Nygren’s opponents organized an effort to recall the president.

Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch issued a statement Monday quoting sections of the report by Eric Dahlstrom with the Albuquerque law firm Rothstein Donatelli.

“Vice President Montoya’s recounting of the Aug. 17, 2023, incident does not constitute sexual harassment” under the tribe’s employee policies, the report found.

“Further, the facts reported would not constitute a violation of any criminal law of the Navajo Nation,” it said.

The report concluded that “further investigation of Montoya’s sexual harassment claims and appointment of a Special Prosecutor are not warranted.”

Branch said she would follow the report’s findings.

“I do not believe it is in the best interest of the Nation to continue spending the Nation’s money on allegations that, even if taken as true, would not amount to any violation of Navajo law,” Branch wrote.

“Although it is time to put this issue to rest and move forward as a Nation, I want to reiterate that the Navajo Nation takes any allegation of sexual harassment seriously,” she wrote.

Efforts by the Journal to reach Montoya on Monday were not successful.

Nygren quickly issued a statement on his Facebook page announcing that he had been “cleared of Vice President Richelle Montoya’s sexual harassment claim” and again called for Montoya to resign.

“Now that I have been cleared, we need to move forward as a Nation and a people,” Nygren said Monday. “This false allegation against me as President of the Navajo Nation has divided and hurt the entire Navajo Nation. We need to heal from this and focus on moving forward.”

Montoya, an avid supporter of Nygren during his 2022 campaign, is the first woman to serve as vice president of the Navajo Nation, which spans parts of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah.

Less than two hours after the announcement, Branch emailed a second statement saying that she had terminated the Navajo Nation’s contracts with Rothstein Donatelli, citing the “inordinate delay in receiving the results of the preliminary investigation.”

In her initial announcement, Branch appeared to defend the investigation, noting that it included interviews with multiple Navajo Nation employees. Investigators also set up a phone tip-line to accept allegations.

“I am satisfied that no rock was left unturned in the search for evidence of any potential wrongdoing,” Branch said. However, she expressed frustration at the length of time the investigation required.

Branch said the investigative report would be released publicly after Navajo Nation leaders were briefed on it.