Man jailed for drugging and raping women after posing as Native American activist

Man Sentenced for Drugging and Raping Women

A man who claimed to be a Native American activist has been sentenced to 46 years in prison for drugging and raping women. This case has led to calls for changes in Washington state law. Advocates want to stop defendants who represent themselves from directly questioning their accusers.

Details of the Case

Redwolf Pope, 49, had apartments in Seattle and Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was arrested in 2018 after guests at his Seattle apartment gave police videos from his iPad. These videos showed him sexually assaulting women who seemed unconscious, according to court documents. Police also found a hidden camera in Pope’s bathroom that recorded women in the shower.

“I’ve had the horror of witnessing the scale of violence Pope inflicted on multiple women over many years. It will never leave me,” said a survivor who found the hidden cameras and videos.

Previous Conviction and Trial

Pope was found guilty of rape and voyeurism by a Santa Fe jury in 2020. He received a four-year prison sentence, with credit for over two years served. Pope claimed the encounter was consensual.

After his release, he was extradited to Washington state for charges related to incidents from 2016 and 2017. He pleaded not guilty and represented himself during his trial in September, where he cross-examined one victim for several days.

The jury found him guilty on September 3, 2025.

Calls for Legislative Change

Survivors are urging the Washington State Legislature to change laws that allow self-represented defendants to cross-examine their victims. They want updates to the Crime Victim Bill of Rights to provide alternatives to this practice.

They propose that judges should allow a court-appointed designee to cross-examine victims instead of a self-represented defendant.

Pope’s Background Scrutinized

Pope has claimed Western Shoshone and Tlingit heritage and has acted as a spokesperson for the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation. His LinkedIn profile lists him as an attorney who worked for the Tulalip Tribal Court for over a decade.

However, his claims were questioned after his arrest. The Washington State Bar Association confirmed he was not a licensed lawyer. The Tulalip Tribes stated he never worked as an attorney there.

Several tribes with Tlingit and Shoshone members reported no record of Pope’s enrollment, though it is unclear if he claimed membership in any specific tribe.

Abigail Echo-Hawk, executive vice president of the Seattle Indian Health Board, stated that Pope created a “false identity” to infiltrate Native communities and exploit Indigenous women. Echo-Hawk, a leader in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls crisis, said Pope inflicted harm and exploited the legal system, continuing to traumatize his victims for years.