FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—Oct. 7, 2019

Letter from Abigail Echo-Hawk follows.

Redwolf Pope could be released within 48 hours

Native advocate urges court to deny release, extradite Pope to Seattle

Santa Fe, NM – A Santa Fe Magistrate judge will decide on October 9 whether to release Redwolf Pope, a man charged with multiple counts of felony sexual crimes. A court hearing is scheduled for 8:00 AM on Wednesday to decide whether to release Pope until trial, place him on house arrest, or extradite him to Seattle where he is charged with kidnap, rape, and voyeurism.

“Pope has been charged with multiple, heinous crimes against women,” said Mary Kathryn Nagle, an attorney representing multiple plaintiffs in the case against Pope. “He poses an extreme danger to the community.”

Abigail Echo-Hawk, an advocate for Native women’s rights has written to the District Attorney, urging the Court to deny Pope’s release under any circumstance. Echo-Hawk is the author of Our Bodies, Our Stories: Sexual Assault against Indigenous womenin Seattleand co-author of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls: a snapshot of data from 71 urban cities in the United States.

“Pope has created a false identity and posed as a Native man to infiltrate Native communities and prey upon our Indigenous women,” said Echo-Hawk. “It is unconscionable that he would be released from jail under any circumstance or have any freedoms restored. He is a flight risk and a danger to all women.”

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CONTACT:

Mary Kathryn Nagle

202.407.0591

mknagle@pipestemlaw.com

October 7, 2019

To Santa Fe District Attorney Marco Serna,

Native women demand and deserve more. The District Attorney’s Office must take seriously its duty and obligation to protect victims of violent sexual crimes. Redwolf Pope (State of New Mexico v. Redwolf Pope) must be immediately transferred to the Seattle Police Department to face trial in King County for the heinous crimes committed against our Indigenous women.

As an Indigenous sexual assault survivor, I stand with the victims and condemn the acts of one non-Native man who maliciously and deliberately targeted Native people. This man is dangerous, and over the course of many years has infiltrated the Native community, appropriated Native culture and stories, and created a false identity to abuse and assault Native women. He has claimed to be a Native man. He is not Native, as confirmed by the two tribes he has falsely claimed. He has lied about working as an attorney, when he is not recognized by the Bar in any state or with any tribe.

Pope is a deceptive criminal and poses an extreme danger to all women. He must stand trial here in Seattle, where he is charged with kidnap, rape and voyeurism. Additionally, as he awaits extradition to Seattle, Pope must remain behind bars. House arrest or an ankle monitor are insufficient to protect women. He is a flight risk and a threat to the community at large.

There is verifiable video evidence of Pope’s crimes. It is a broken and dangerous system that would allow this man any freedoms. He does not deserve to be released and should never have been granted bail. His victims are traumatized again at the idea that this predator will have restored privileges, access to the internet, and access to the same digital tools he expertly used as weapons for sexual assault.

In 2018, I authored a reporton Native women living in Seattle where Pope is additionally accused. We found that 94% of local Native women had been sexually assaulted in their lifetime. Of those who reported their assaults, only 8% saw a conviction of their perpetrator. In a follow up report, we found that New Mexico has the highest rate of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in the United States. This correlates to high rates of sexual violence, primarily at the hands of non-Native men like Redwolf Pope, who prey on Native women. If released, Pope will be in close proximity to many tribal communities in New Mexico where he has established relationships, putting more women in direct danger. He is an expert criminal, repeating his crimes over many years and in multiple states.The entire New Mexico community should be concerned that Pope could be released with only an ankle monitor.

Working together, we can create a safer culture for women. New Mexico must do the right thing, extradite Redwolf Pope to the Seattle Police Department, hold him accountable for his crimes in New Mexico, and keep him behind bars for the safety of all people, especially Native women.

Sincerely,

Abigail Echo-Hawk

Chief Research Officer, Seattle Indian Health Board

Director, Urban Indian Health Institute

CC:

Congresswoman Deb Haaland

Congresswoman Xochitl Torres Small

Congressman Ben Lujan

Prosecutor Larissa Breen

Santa Fe Chief of Police Andrew Padilla

Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber

Senator Patty Murray

Senator Benny Shendo Jr.

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller

Albuquerque Chief of Police Mike Geier

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan

Seattle Chief of Police Carmen Best

Seattle City Councilmember Debora Juarez

Governor Jay Inslee

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham

October 7, 2019

NATIVE VICTIMS OF REDWOLF POPE, CAUGHT BETWEEN

PROSECUTORIAL ERROR AND JUDICIAL MISCONDUCT IN SANTA FE COURT, CALL ON JUDGE TO RECUSE AND DISTRICT ATTORNEY TO ENGAGE

Redwolf Pope – a non-Native man who falsely assumed a Native identity as a tool to carry out sex crimes – has been charged in New Mexico with kidnapping in the first degree with intent to commit sexual offense, criminal sexual penetration in the third degree, and voyeurism. In the State of Washington, Mr. Pope has been charged with two counts of rape. He has actively targeted Native women as victims.

On October 1, 2019, Santa Fe Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled that because Assistant District Attorney Larissa Breen presented a photo of an affidavit, rather than an original copy, Mr. Pope should now be released. Judge Marlowe Sommer then refused to reconsider her decision on October 3. This is a gross miscarriage of justice. The victims of Redwolf Pope – who are represented by Pipestem Law, P.C., and who will remain anonymous for now – call on Judge Marlowe Sommer to collaborate with Washington authorities to transfer custody to Seattle. They also demand that District Attorney Marco Serna directly engage in this case and, importantly, if Mr. Pope is transferred to Seattle, that he not be released at large to the public with nothing to protect victims but the assurance of an ankle monitor.

Magistrate Court Judge David Segura is scheduled to decide whether Pope will be held on house arrest in New Mexico or be released on an unsecured bond of $2,500. If released, Seattle is in a position to immediately arrest Pope and extradite him to Washington State.

Redwolf Pope is A Dangerous Man

In May of 2018, one of Mr. Pope’s roommates discovered what appeared to be a small hidden camera in Mr. Pope’s Seattle apartment. The hidden camera sat facing the shower in the shared bathroom and contained an Secure Digital (SD) card with motion-activated recordings. The roommate brought the camera to the attention of another roommate, and together they determined it had been filming while she and another female friend had been staying at the apartment. In the days following, an investigation was set in motion that would uncover numerous hidden cameras in Mr. Pope’s Seattle and Santa Fe apartments. It ultimately led to the discovery on Mr. Pope’s iPad, which contained multiple videos of what appear to be Mr. Pope raping unconscious women. The following months gave way to a multi-state investigation, and Mr. Pope’s initial arrest in August 2018. He targeted Native women as his victims.

Mr. Pope is a flight risk and should not be released, even to house arrest, under any circumstances. It is imperative that the State of New Mexico take every step to ensure that he is not released, and that the $500,000 bond and arrest warrants out of Seattle are honored in the process. The State of New Mexico should be accountable for ensuring a swift and careful extradition process where Mr. Pope will face due process in Seattle, while upholding the charges against him in New Mexico. The case is predicated on a large amount of concrete video evidence of violent sex crimes that has been handed over to the State of New Mexico and State of Washington.

Even in a case with video evidence of criminal conduct, the Santa Fe justice system is preparing to allow an alleged serial rapist walk out of prison this week. It is a shocking look at our broken justice system, and a clear disregard for the safety of victims in a serious criminal sexual assault case. The issues could have been avoided initially if the prosecutor Larissa Breen had provided the evidence in an acceptable manner (not in photographic form), or if the Judge had made a decision in the interest of justice rather than frustration or anger at the prosecutor. Regardless of the disappointing conduct on both the part of the prosecutor and judge, the victims should have been informed about all the ongoing issues with the case. There is a magistrate court hearing this Wednesday morning, October 9, to determine the outcome of the release process.

The victims wish to hold the state accountable to keeping Redwolf Pope behind bars, for a smooth extradition, and for the charges in New Mexico to be upheld.

Redwolf Pope Is Non-Native, Contrary to Media Reports

Redwolf Pope is not Native American, contrary to media reports that continue to refer to him as a “Native American activist.” The tribes that he claims descent from, Shoshone and Tlingit, have no records of his or his family’s enrollment or lineage. Mr. Pope represented himself to the Native community as a spiritual leader and advocate. He used his position of influence to travel, speak, and gain access to many circles of people, including the Native women he sexually assaulted. He also developed a way of quieting any allegations made against him and manipulating previous criminal cases that he was involved in to favor his image. By the end of 2017, he was beginning to partner with artists in Santa Fe, New Mexico under the guise of wanting to invest in the work they were doing. During this time, he was continuing his victimization of Native women in secret.

Although Mr. Pope graduated from Seattle University in 2013 with a law degree, he is not recognized by the Bar Association in any state or with any tribe.