Member of Lummi Nation sentenced to five years in prison for vicious assault and strangulation of former intimate partner

Seattle - 49-year-old Lummi Nation man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to five years in prison for his strangulation of his former intimate partner, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Marc Cagey Oreiro pleaded guilty in June to the 2025 assault of his former intimate partner on the Lummi Nation Indian Reservation. Oreiro has a tribal court conviction for assaulting the same victim. The victim in this case told law enforcement he had assaulted her some ten times previously, that were not reported to law enforcement. At today's sentencing U.S. District Judge Lauren King told Oreiro, "Non-fatal strangulation is among the most dangerous of domestic assaults. This is about as serious as it gets… You continue to treat your intimate partners or former intimate partners as your property, as if you had the right to control them and use deadly force against them."

"Mr. Oreiro had his first domestic violence conviction in 1995 when he was just 18 years old. His incidents of domestic violence assault have worsened since then, but Mr. Oreiro has spent little time behind bars," said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. "This above-guidelines sentence, with three years of federal supervision to follow, is aimed at breaking the cycle of violence that has threatened those closest to this defendant."

According to records filed in the case, on May 23, 2025, Oreiro assaulted the victim in the master bedroom of their home on the Lummi Nation Indian Reservation Oreiro pushed the victim onto the bed and strangled her with his hands and forearm interfering with her ability to breathe. Oreiro punched her multiple times in the head, back, stomach, side, and ear. He struck her in the ribs with his knee and knelt on her chest and repeatedly threatened to kill her. She later disclosed that after the assault he had attempted to sexually assault her.

Lummi Police officers arrived at the door after a housemate called police. During a search of the residence, police found Oreiro who physically fought with officers. The victim was found crying in the master bedroom closet where Oreiro had instructed her to hide. The victim was transported to a local hospital for medical care and treatment, including bruising to her face, ears, and neck.

In seeking a five-year sentence prosecutors wrote to the court that "Oreiro's conduct in this case presents serious concerns for the safety of the (victim). Those, like the (victim), who have been non-fatally strangled by an abusive partner are eight times more likely to become a subsequent victim of homicide at the hands of that same partner. Moreover, Oreiro has proven that he flouts conditions imposed by the courts, including post-conviction no-contact orders."

Oreiro was originally charged in tribal court. Following the initial FBI investigation, Oreiro was charged by criminal complaint, and on June 25, 2025, the grand jury returned an indictment. He pleaded guilty on June 6, 2026.

He has been detained at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac since his federal arrest on June 4, 2025.

Judge King also imposed a $50,000 fine. Restitution will be determined at a later date. At sentencing, Judge King also spoke directly to the victim in this case noting that she was "brave," that no one deserves to be treated the way that she was, and that her actions "may have prevented other women from becoming victims in the future." The judge noted that the victim did the right thing by reporting to law enforcement. "Based upon Mr. Oreiro's history, it is unlikely this pattern of violence would have stopped without intervention from the justice system," the judge said.

The case was investigated jointly by the FBI Safe Trails Task Force and the Lummi Nation Police Department.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Celia Lee and Carolyn Forstein. Ms. Lee serves as a Tribal Liaison for the U.S. Attorney's Office.