Courts

Los Alamos Police Blotter: July 17 To July 22, 2019

July 24, 2019 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

LAPD News:

The following information is provided by the Los Alamos Police Department.

Neither arrests nor charges indicate a conviction, and neither means that a person is guilty of the charges filed against them.

OSCAR A. DUARTE-FIERRO

July 17 at 11:53 p.m. / Police arrested Oscar A. Duarte-Fierro, 25, of Los Alamos at the Espanola Police Department on an outstanding Magistrate Court warrant.

NANCY Y. ENRIQUEZ-PORTILLO

July 19 at 2:05 p.m. / Police arrested Nancy Y. Enriquez-Portillo, 22, of Santa Fe at Smith’s Gas Station and charged her with receiving or transferring Read More

Balderas Leads $600M Multi-State Settlement With Equifax In Largest Data Breach Settlement In History

July 23, 2019 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Attorney General Hector Balderas

AG News:

Settlement includes up to $425 million in consumer restitution following investigation into 2017 data breach

ALBUQUERQUE — Attorney General Hector Balderas has announced that a coalition of 50 Attorneys General has reached a settlement with Equifax as the result of its massive 2017 data breach.

The Attorneys General investigation found that Equifax’s failure to maintain a reasonable security system enabled hackers to penetrate its systems, exposing the data of more than half of all American adults—the largest-ever breach of consumer

Multi-Agency Task Force Arrests Albuquerque Man On Federal Firearm, Drug Charges

July 23, 2019 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

FBI News:

A multi-agency task force arrested an Albuquerque man today on federal firearm and drug charges.

Henry Felix, 49, is charged in a federal complaint with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; being a felon in possession of a firearm; and possession of heroin with intent to distribute.

The FBI Violent Crime Task Force (VCTF), comprised of investigators from the FBI, New Mexico State Police, Albuquerque Police Department and Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, arrested Felix after executing a search warrant of his residence

Salsa Swindler Found Guilty Of Securities Fraud

July 19, 2019 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

NMR&LD News:

LAS CRUCES – New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department Superintendent Marguerite Salazar announced Thursday that Eduardo Triste of Las Cruces was found guilty on by a jury of defrauding a 70-year-old Orange County, Calif. woman who he persuaded to invest in his fictitious salsa company.

Triste was convicted of Fraud over $20,000 and Securities Fraud.

“We will continue to protect the citizens of New Mexico from the nefarious actions of wrongdoers who prey on trusting individuals,” Salazar said.

Triste struck up an acquaintance with the woman after she randomly contacted Read More

NM Judiciary Streamlines Operations With Admin. Consolidation Of Magistrate And District Courts

July 18, 2019 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

NMSC News:

SANTA FE ― To improve court efficiencies across New Mexico, the Judiciary has combined the administration of magistrate and district courts within the state’s judicial districts.

“Streamlining our court system advances judicial excellence in New Mexico,” Supreme Court Chief Justice Judith K. Nakamura said. “An administrative consolidation allows our magistrate and district courts to share resources such as jury pools. We can more quickly and better respond to needs for court services in our communities by managing magistrate courts locally rather than from

DEA: Sinaloa Cartel Leader Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman Sentenced To Life In Prison Plus 30 Years

July 18, 2019 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Joaquin Guzman … also known as El Chapo

DEA News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. ― Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, known by various aliases, including “El Chapo” and “El Rapido,” was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan to a life term of imprisonment plus 30 years.

The sentence is to run consecutive to the life sentence for being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise – the Mexican organized crime syndicate known as the Sinaloa Cartel – a charge that includes 26 drug-related violations and one murder conspiracy.

The court also ordered

NMDWS Announces $50,000 Judgment For Workers

July 17, 2019 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

NMDWS News:

ALBUQUERQUE ― Last week, the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions (NMDWS) won a summary judgment of $52,240.50 on behalf of seven workers of the now defunct CPST Consulting, LLC in Albuquerque after the business ceased operations in 2015 without distributing final paychecks for employees.

The amount adjudged includes $16,920 in unpaid wages plus 200% in liquidated damages and interest mandated by state law when workers are left unpaid.

The Second Judicial District Court ruled that the LLC’s sole owner, Richard Montoya, was individually liable

Los Alamos Police Blotter: July 14 To July 16, 2018

July 17, 2019 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

LAPD News:

The following information is provided by the Los Alamos Police Department.

Neither arrests nor charges indicate a conviction, and neither means that a person is guilty of the charges filed against them.

PAUL ROBERT MARTINEZ

July 10 at 2:58 p.m. / Police arrested Paul Robert Martinez, 52, of Espanola near East Road and Sombrillo Court and outstanding District Court and Magistrate Court warrants.

MARSHALL MERLE SANCHEZ

July 14 at 4:12 a.m. / Police arrested Marshall Merle Sanchez, 36, of Santa Fe on North Mesa Road on two outstanding Municipal Court warrants and charged him Read More

New Mexico Supreme Court Vacates Death Sentences Of The Last Inmates On Death Row

July 15, 2019 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

NMSC News:

SANTA FE ― The State Supreme Court has set aside the death sentences of the only inmates awaiting execution in New Mexico, concluding that their sentences were unlawfully disproportionate in comparison to the penalties imposed in similar murder cases.

In a divided decision, three justices sent the cases of Timothy Allen and Robert Fry back to a District Court in San Juan County to impose sentences of life imprisonment.

New Mexico repealed the death penalty a decade ago for murders committed after July 1, 2009. However, the death sentences of Allen and Fry remained

AG Balderas Files Court Brief To Protect New Mexicans From Opioid Overdoses

July 12, 2019 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Attorney General Balderas

AG News:

ALBUQUERQUE ― Attorney General Balderas joined a coalition of eight states in filing a brief Thursday supporting the rights of states to enact public health policies that can prevent opioid overdoses, save lives, and treat those suffering from opioid use disorder.

The amicus brief, filed today in United States v. Safehouse before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, opposes a Trump administration effort to stop Safehouse, a Pennsylvania nonprofit, from operating a life-saving “safe injection