Lyndreth Hemp Wall, 59, a member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, has been convicted by a federal jury of sexually assaulting five victims, including a child. The United States Attorney for the District of Colorado announced that Wall was found guilty on 15 counts of Sexual Abuse in Indian Country and Abusive Sexual Contact in Indian Country.
Wall, who presented himself as a traditional Native American healer or “medicine man,” used his position to exploit multiple women on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation over at least twelve years. He was elected to the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Council in 2020 and previously served as a school board member in Montezuma-Cortez School District Re-1. During what he described as healing ceremonies, Wall isolated victims and engaged in sexual contact under false pretenses. He told several victims that disclosing his actions would prevent the healing from working.
During the trial, five women testified about being abused by Wall in Towaoc, Colorado. The jury returned guilty verdicts for all five cases included in the indictment. Testimony was also heard from a sixth woman who alleged she had been assaulted by Wall in Alamosa and Lone Tree during 2020 and 2021; this testimony was admitted under rules allowing evidence of other sexual assaults.
A sentencing date has not yet been set for Wall. He also faces two additional allegations of sexual assault in Colorado state court. These pending charges remain allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The FBI’s Durango office led the investigation with support from the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Towaoc. Assistant United States Attorneys R. Josh Player and Jeffrey K. Graves prosecuted the case before United States District Judge Gordon P. Gallagher.
Authorities encourage anyone with information about other possible victims to contact the FBI Denver office at (303) 629-7171.
