Oregon District Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Assaulting Girlfriend at Warm Springs Indian Reservation

Alfred Dee Kaulaity, of Warm Springs, Oregon, has been sentenced to federal prison for assaulting his girlfriend on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in December 2020. This derelict act has marked Kaulaity’s eighth conviction for domestic violence. He was sentenced to 66 months in federal prison and over three years of supervised release. This federal sentence will follow a 78-month state prison sentence from a prior domestic violence conviction in Jefferson County, Oregon.

Natalie Wight, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, stressed the courage displayed by the victim in reporting Kaulaity’s dangerous pattern of violence. She highlighted that such reporting helps hold domestic abusers accountable and stop violence within communities. Aubree M. Schwartz, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Portland Field Office, emphasized that domestic violence is rarely isolated and often has several victims, as in Kaulaity’s case.

In the indictment against Kaulaity, it was elaborated that he struck his girlfriend with the back of his hand, leaving an injury and a scar on her face. This incident occurred when Kaulaity became angry over his girlfriend speaking with a male friend during dinner at the Indian Head Casino. The assault escalated when Kaulaity threatened to kill his girlfriend while driving her from Oregon to Northern California.

Kaulaity’s persistent abuse was brought to light when his girlfriend revealed his actions to the police, after airline employees observed her injuries following a flight to Portland. She reported his December 2020 assault and identified Kaulaity as her assailant. In May 2022, a federal grand jury in Portland indicted Kaulaity on multiple accounts, and he pleaded guilty to domestic assault by a habitual offender in December 2023. Kaulaity’s criminal history extends far back and includes six prior domestic violence convictions in Oklahoma over a 17-year span, involving three different victims.

Beside his imprisonment, Kaulaity was ordered to pay $1,432 in restitution to his victim and $3,494 to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Account. His case was investigated by the FBI and the Warm Springs Tribal Police Department and was prosecuted by Pamela Paaso, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. The document concludes by addressing domestic violence as a severe and often secretive crime that affects not only victims but also family members, friends, and communities. It encourages those in dangerous situations or those who know someone in need to reach out to hotlines and emphasizes on the existence of support networks dedicated to aiding survivors in their recovery process. Finally, it encourages individuals to seek assistance from the StrongHearts Native Helpline, a helpful resource offering culturally specific support for American Indian and Alaska Native survivors of domestic violence.