Attorney General Hector Balderas From the Office of the Attorney General:
SANTA FE – The four day preliminary hearing regarding Sen. Phil Griego has come to a close and Judge Brett R. Loveless issued his ruling. Attorney General Hector Balderas released the following statement in response:
“Today, the Office of the Attorney General concluded its arguments in the preliminary hearing of former Sen. Phil Griego and our prosecutors presented an overwhelming amount of evidence to support the charges filed before Judge Brett R. Loveless. I am grateful to Judge Loveless for hearing this matter and I am pleased with his ruling that will allow us to pursue justice on behalf of taxpayers. My administration is committed to aggressively combating public corruption in New Mexico and holding the powerful accountable.”
Sen. Phil GriegoGriego stepped down in March 2015 in the wake of an ethics investigation that found he had violated the state constitution by brokering the sale of a state building that required legislative approval.
Judge Loveless found probable cause in nine of the 10 counts including:
Ethical principles of public service
Ethical principles of public service
Bribery
Fraud
Fraud
Perjury
Tampering with public records
Financial Disclosure Act
Unlawful interest in a public contract (value received over $50.00)