A Pendleton, Oregon man has pleaded guilty to charges related to the sexual abuse of minors on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Aaron William Pizer, 41, admitted guilt to two counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor and one count of Abusive Sexual Contact.
Court documents show that between July 2016 and August 2020, Pizer sexually abused two minors under sixteen years old on the reservation. On April 19, 2024, he engaged in sexual contact with a third minor under sixteen at the same location.
A federal grand jury indicted Pizer on September 4, 2024, in Portland on three counts: two for Sexual Abuse of a Minor and one for Abusive Sexual Contact. Each count of Sexual Abuse of a Minor carries a maximum sentence of fifteen years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and five years to life of supervised release. The Abusive Sexual Contact charge carries up to two years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and five years to life supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for March 12, 2026.
Pizer has agreed as part of his plea deal to pay full restitution to the victims.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Umatilla Tribal Police Department, and Pendleton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassady Adams is prosecuting.
“This case was brought in collaboration with Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc,” according to the press release.
