SEATTLE, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A Lummi Nation man has been sentenced in federal court following a brutal assault on tribal territory.

U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd announced Wednesday, Aug. 12, that 49-year-old Mark Oreiro will spend five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a domestic assault in June.

Court documents state Oreiro strangled the victim during what prosecutors called a “vicious” assault in the master bedroom of their home in May 2025. A housemate called Lummi Nation Police officers to the residence and they arrested Oreiro after he physically fought them.

The victim later told police that he had assaulted them around 10 previous times that hadn’t been reported to law enforcement.

Prosecutors say Oreiro had a decades-long history of domestic violence convictions prior to the incident.

“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 in a news release. “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.”

 

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic/sexual violence, call 800-656-HOPE (4673) to reach the National Sexual Assault Hotline.