District of New Mexico
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Two Albuquerque Men Sentenced for Convictions on Federal Drug Trafficking and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Two Albuquerque, N.M., men were sentenced yesterday for their convictions on federal firearms and drug trafficking charges. Marcus Sowell, 19, was sentenced in Albuquerque to a year and a day in prison followed by two years of supervised release for possession of an unregistered firearm. Shawn Anthony Burns, 31, was sentenced yesterday in Santa Fe, N.M., to 60 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release for crack cocaine trafficking.
Sowell and Burns were arrested during an ATF-led investigation that resulted in the filing of 59 federal indictments and a federal criminal complaint charging 104 Bernalillo County residents with federal firearms and narcotics trafficking offenses. The investigation began in mid-April 2016, when ATF personnel from throughout the country joined forces with federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies in New Mexico to combat the high rate of violent crime in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. The investigators utilized a number of investigative techniques, including undercover operations, historical investigation and targeting of multi-convicted felons in possession of firearms.
The investigation was undertaken in support of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies collaborate with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution primarily based on their prior criminal convictions with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.
Sowell and his co-defendants Damon Giles, 23, Michael Borrego, 25, Adrian Banks, 28, and Marcus Lewis, 27, were charged in a 12-count indictment filed on June 30, 2016. The indictment charged the following:
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Sowell with possession of a firearm not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR) and engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license on May 19, 2016;
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Giles with being a felon in possession of a firearm on May 19, 2016;
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Giles and Borrego with engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license on May 31, 2016;
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Giles and Banks with engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license on June 7, 2016;
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Banks with being a felon in possession of firearms on June 7, 2016;
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Borrego with engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license on June 7, 2016 and June 10, 2016;
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Giles and Lewis with distribution of cocaine on June 9, 2016;
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Borrego with possession of a firearm not registered to him in the NFRTR on June 10, 2016;
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Giles with engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license and being a felon in possession of firearms on June 13, 2016.
According to the indictment, the offenses were committed in Bernalillo County, N.M.
On Nov. 4, 2016, Sowell pled guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm and admitted that on May 19, 2016, he possessed a firearm not registered to him in the NFRTR.
Burns was arrested in July 2016, on an indictment charging him with distributing crack cocaine on April 19, 2016, April 20, 2016, and April 29, 2016, in Bernalillo County. On Dec. 9, 2016, Burns pled guilty to distributing crack cocaine and admitted that on April 29, 2016, he distributed 28 grams and more of crack cocaine.
To date, 43 of the 104 defendants have entered guilty pleas, and 18 have been sentenced. The remaining defendants have entered not guilty pleas. Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
These cases were investigated by the Albuquerque office of ATF. The case against Sowell was prosecuted by Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney and the case against Burns was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Brawley.
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Armed Career Offender from Albuquerque Sentenced to Fifteen Years for Unlawful Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Joe Ray Alires, 42, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced yesterday in federal court to180 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition, announced Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney and Special Agent in Charge Thomas G. Atteberry of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Alires was charged by an indictment filed on Nov. 19, 2014, with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition on June 26, 2014, in Bernalillo County, N.M. Alires was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of his status as a convicted felon. According to the indictment, on June 26, 2014, Alires had at least ten felony convictions, convictions for residential and commercial burglary, possession of a controlled substance, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a deadly weapon or explosive by a prisoner.
On March 9, 2017, Alires pled guilty to the indictment under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and admitted to possessing a loaded pistol on June 26, 2014, despite his status as a convicted felon.
This case was investigated by the ATF office in Albuquerque and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Walsh as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders primarily based on their prior criminal convictions for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible. Because New Mexico’s violent crime rate, on a per capita basis, is one of the highest in the nation, New Mexico’s law enforcement community is collaborating to target repeat and violent offenders, primarily based on their prior convictions, from counties with the highest violent crime rates including Bernalillo County under this initiative.
Arizona Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Larceny Charge in New MexicoRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Sabrina Morgan, 39, of Jeddito, Ariz., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to a larceny charge arising out of her theft of cash belonging to a commercial business located in Naschitti, N.M.
Morgan was charged in an indictment filed on March 14, 2017, with stealing more than $1,000 from the Red Mesa Trading Company, which is located on the Navajo Indian Reservation in San Juan County, N.M. At the time of the offense, Morgan was employed as the district supervisor of the Trading Company.
During today’s proceedings, Morgan entered a guilty plea to the indictment without the benefit of a plea agreement. At sentencing, Morgan faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Murphy.
Albuquerque Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Armed Bank Robbery ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Isaiah Gallegos, 22, of Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty this morning in federal court to an armed bank robbery charge. Gallegos is the final of four defendants to enter a guilty plea in the case.
Isaiah Gallegos was arrested in March 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him and four co-defendants, Greg Miera, 51, Christian Herrera, 20, Christopher Gallegos, 33, and Martin Huertta, 44, all of Albuquerque, with bank robbery. According to the complaint, a source identified the defendants as the individuals involved in robbing the US Bank branch located at 5620 Wyoming Blvd. NE in Albuquerque, on March 30, 2016. Albuquerque Police Department (APD) officers conducted surveillance as a vehicle with four men pulled up to the US Bank on the afternoon of March 30, 2016. Three of the men remained in the vehicle while the fourth entered the bank, threatened to shoot the bank employees, and demanded that two bank tellers place cash into a plastic bag.
Huertta, Miera, Herrera, Isaiah Gallegos and Christopher Gallegos were indicted on April 27, 2016, and charged with bank robbery.
During today’s proceedings, Isaiah Gallegos pled guilty to the indictment and admitted that on March 30, 2016, he participated in the robbery of the US Bank branch located at 5620 Wyoming Blvd. NE in Albuquerque by acting as lookout while his co-defendants robbed the bank.
Isaiah Gallegos’ four co-defendants have entered guilty pleas and one has been sentenced. Huertta pled guilty on Sept. 9, 2016 and was sentenced on March 14, 2017 to 108 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Miera entered a guilty plea on Oct. 11, 2016, Christopher Gallegos entered a guilty plea on Feb. 13, 2017, and Herrera entered a guilty plea on Feb. 24, 2017. At sentencing, Isaiah Gallegos, Herrera, Christopher Gallegos and Miera each face a statutory maximum penalty of 25 years in federal prison. They remain in custody pending sentencing hearings.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Letitia C. Simms is prosecuting the case.
MEDIA ADVISORY-- HOPE Initiative Partners to Encourage Community Participation in DEA’s April 29, 2017 National Prescription Drug Take-Back Event by Hosting Promotional Event on Tuesday in Civic PlazaRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – The U.S. Attorney’s Office and UNM Health and Sciences Center are encouraging community participation in DEA’s 13th National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, April 29, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 pm as part of the prevention and education component of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. To raise public awareness about Saturday’s nationwide event, the HOPE Initiative Partners and DEA are collaborating with the City of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County and Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC) in hosting a promotional Drug Take-Back event on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., during “Truckin’ Tuesday” in Civic Plaza. The promotional event will provide City and County employees and others who work in downtown Albuquerque with a safe, convenient and responsible way of disposing of unused, unwanted or expired medications. Representatives from these collaborators will be available to speak with the media at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, in Civic Plaza during the promotional event.
WHO:
Asst. Special Agent in Charge Sean R. Waite, DEA Albuquerque District Office
Bernalillo County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins, District 3
Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Martinez
WHEN:
TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 2017
1:00 P.M.
WHERE:
Albuquerque Civic Plaza
1 Civic Plaza NW
Albuquerque, NM 87012
OPEN PRESS
Members of the public who wish to participate in Saturday’s nationwide event can find a nearby Prescription Drug Take-Back collection site by visiting www.dea.gov, clicking on the “Got Drugs?” icon, and entering their zip code into the search window, or they can call 800-882-9539. Only pills and other solids, like patches, will be accepted at DEA Drug Take Back collection sites – the public should not bring liquids, needles or other sharp items to take back sites. This service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic that has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with Bernalillo County, DEA, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC) and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico. The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.
Federal Jury Convicts Silver City Man on Federal Firearms and Narcotics Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A federal jury sitting in Las Cruces, N.M., returned a verdict on Friday afternoon (April 21, 2017) finding Trevor Lee Thayer, 46, of Silver City, N.M., guilty of violating the federal firearms and narcotics trafficking laws after a five-day trial. The jury found Thayer guilty on two firearms charges and one narcotics trafficking charge, and acquitted Thayer on three firearms charges and a narcotics trafficking charge.
The jury’s verdict was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney, Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy of the DEA’s El Paso Division, and Special Agent in Charge Thomas G. Atteberry of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Thayer was charged with firearms and narcotics trafficking offenses in a five-count indictment that was filed on Feb. 13, 2013. The indictment charged Thayer with illegally possessing a short-barreled rifle and a silencer, manufacturing a silencer, manufacturing marijuana, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. On Aug. 14, 2013, Thayer was charged with the additional charge of maintaining premises for the purpose of manufacturing marijuana in a superseding indictment. The indictment was superseded a second time on Sept. 13, 2016, to include two additional charges for manufacturing silencers. Thayer was charged with committing these offenses in Grant County, N.M., in Aug. 2012.
Thayer’s trial began on April 17, 2017, and concluded on April 21, 2017, when the jury returned a guilty verdict on Counts 2, 4 and 5 of the second superseding indictment, which charged him with unlawful possession of a silencer, unlawful possession of a silencer manufacturing kit, and manufacturing and possessing approximately 30 marijuana plants. The jury acquitted Thayer on Counts 1, 3, 6 and 7.
The jury’s guilty verdict was based on evidence establishing that in Aug. 2012, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Thayer’s residence and seized eight firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, two silencers, a silencer manufacturing toolkit, marijuana plants and marijuana plant manufacturing materials. Investigation revealed that Thayer modified a firearm and manufactured the two silencers, one metal and one plastic, and that he did not have any firearms registered to him in the national Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
The evidence at trial also established that in Aug. 2012, Thayer was manufacturing and growing marijuana plants at his residence with an expired grow license from the State of New Mexico.
At sentencing, Thayer faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in prison on each of the two firearms charges and five years in prison on the marijuana offense.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces offices of the DEA and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the New Mexico Motor Transportation Police and the New Mexico State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria Y. Armijo and Matthew Beck of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office are prosecuting the case.
Davon Lymon Sentenced to Eighteen Years for Conviction on Federal Heroin Trafficking and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – This morning, Chief U.S. District Judge M. Christina Armijo sentenced Davon Lymon, 36, of Albuquerque, N.M., for his conviction on federal heroin trafficking and firearms charges. Lymon was sentenced to 216 months (18 years) of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release. The Chief Judge ordered that Lymon serve the 18-year prison sentence consecutive to the 20-year prison sentence previously imposed on April 5, 2017, on Lymon’s conviction on two felon in possession of firearms charges, for a total sentence of 38 years of imprisonment.
Lymon’s sentence was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney, Special Agent in Charge Thomas G. Atteberry of the Phoenix Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy of the El Paso Division of the DEA, and Chief Gorden E. Eden Jr., of the Albuquerque Police Department (APD).
In announcing the sentence, Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney said, “The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted Davon Lymon on federal charges because as a community, we cannot and will not tolerate violence against law enforcement officers. The entire law enforcement community – federal, state, county, local and tribal – is committed to working collaboratively to thoroughly and completely investigate and prosecute those who seek to harm the courageous officers who put their lives on the line to protect us and safeguard our communities.”
“I wish to commend the investigative efforts of all our law enforcement partners involved in the federal prosecutions of Davon Lymon,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas G. Atteberry of the Phoenix Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “I also wish to recognize the determination of the federal prosecutors assigned to this case and the leadership of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
“Today’s sentencing closes the door on the federal prosecutions of Davon Lymon,” said Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy of the El Paso Division of the DEA. “DEA and its law enforcement partners are committed to working together to ensure that drug traffickers who use firearms to facilitate their drug trafficking activities and to commit other crimes face the consequences of their criminal activities.”
"We are very grateful for the hard work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Brawley and Jacob Wishard of the U.S. Attorney’s office in the successful prosecution of Davon Lymon on federal charges,” said Chief Gorden E. Eden Jr., of the APD. “The federal convictions will ensure that Lymon remains behind bars until he can be prosecuted on his pending state charges.”
Lymon now stands convicted in two federal cases. The first indictment in the first case, filed on Nov. 27, 2015, charged Lymon with four counts of being a felon in possession of firearms and one count of possessing a stolen firearm (the firearms case). The indictment in the second case, filed on Dec. 2, 2015, charged Lymon with two heroin trafficking charges and a felon in possession of a firearm charge (the heroin trafficking case). At the time Lymon committed the crimes, he was prohibited from possessing firearms because of his prior felony convictions for voluntary manslaughter, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon resulting in great bodily harm, fraud, and forgery.
Lymon was convicted on two of the four charges in the firearms case. Chief U.S. District Judge Armijo found Lymon guilty on Count 4 of the four-count indictment on Oct. 28, 2016, following a bench trial on that charge alone. Count 4 charged Lymon with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition on Oct. 21, 2015, the day on which he allegedly shot Albuquerque Police Officer Daniel Webster. Officer Webster died on Oct. 29, 2015, due to injuries he allegedly sustained during the shooting, and Lymon has been charged with murdering Officer Webster in a separate state case. Lymon has entered a not guilty plea to the charges in the state case and is presumed innocent unless found guilty.
On Dec. 13, 2016, Lymon pled guilty to Count 2 of the indictment in the firearms case under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and admitted unlawfully possessing a firearm on May 27, 2016. As part of the plea agreement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office agreed to dismiss Count 1, charging Lymon with being a felon in possession of a firearm on May 27, 2015, and Count 3, of the indictment, charging Lymon with possessing a stolen firearm in May 2015.
The indictment in the second federal case charged Lymon with distributing heroin on Sept. 11, 2015 and Oct. 2, 2015, and unlawfully possessing a firearm on Oct. 2, 2015. Lymon pled guilty to the three charges in the heroin trafficking case on May 9, 2016, without the benefit of a plea agreement.
The Albuquerque office of ATF and APD investigated the firearms case, with assistance from the Albuquerque office of the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the New Mexico State Police, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, the Rio Rancho Police Department and the New Mexico Transportation Police Division. The heroin trafficking case was investigated by the Albuquerque offices of ATF and DEA.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob A. Wishard and Kimberly A. Brawley prosecuted the two federal cases against Lymon as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders primarily based on their prior criminal convictions for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.
Albuquerque Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Heroin Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Miguel Ordonez, 24, of Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court to heroin trafficking charges.
Miguel Ordonez and his four co-defendants, Gonzalo Montenegro-Coronel, 31, a Mexican national, Esther Ordonez, 48, and Reydecel Lopez-Ordonez, 24, both of Albuquerque, and Fernando Gomez-Campos, 21, of El Paso, Tex., were charged in a 13-count indictment that was filed on Dec. 2, 2015. The indictment charged the defendants with participating in a heroin trafficking conspiracy between Nov. 2014 and Sept. 2015, distributing heroin on eight occasions between Nov. 2014 and Sept. 2015, and with using telephones to facilitate drug trafficking crimes. It also charged Esther Ordonez, Miguel Ordonez and Montenegro-Coronel with maintaining a residence for the purpose of manufacturing and distributing heroin between Nov. 2014 and Sept. 2015. According to the indictment, the defendants committed the crimes in Bernalillo County, N.M.
During today’s proceedings, Miguel Ordonez pled guilty to two counts of distributing heroin, using a communication facility in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and maintaining a drug involved premises. In entering the guilty plea, Miguel Ordonez admitted participating in telephone communications on March 27, 2015, in order to arrange heroin sales with individuals who unbeknownst to him were undercover agents. Miguel Ordonez admitted selling 148 grams of heroin for $4,200 on March 27, 2015, and 98 grams of heroin for $3,200 on May 7, 2015, to the undercover agent. He also admitted that from Nov. 10, 2014 and until his arrest in July 2015, he helped others store heroin for distribution at 2620 Katrina Dr. SW in Albuquerque.
At sentencing, Miguel Ordonez faces a statutory penalty of not less than five years nor more than 40 years of imprisonment. He remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
To date, four of the five defendants have entered guilty pleas and one has been sentenced. Lopez-Ordonez pled guilty on Oct. 19, 2016, and was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment followed by four years of supervised release on March 30, 2017. Gomez-Campos pled guilty on March 10, 2017, and Esther Ordonez pled guilty on April 12, 2017. Gomez-Campos and Esther Ordonez have yet to be sentenced.
Montenegro-Coronel has entered a not guilty plea to the indictment and is pending trial. Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA and the HIDTA Region I Drug Task Force as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program, which combines the resources and unique expertise of federal agencies, along with their local counterparts, in a coordinated effort to disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations. The HIDTA Region I Drug Task Force is comprised of officers from the Albuquerque Police Department, Rio Rancho Police Department, Valencia County Sheriff’s Office, Pueblo of Pojoaque Tribal Police Department and DEA. The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program was created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. HIDTA is a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) which provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States and seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shaheen P. Torgoley and Stephen R. Kotz are prosecuting this case as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.
The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.
Santa Fe Felon Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Joaquin Archuleta, 41, of Santa Fe, N.M., pled guilty this morning in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to violating the federal firearms laws by unlawfully possessing a firearm. The plea agreement includes a recommendation that Archuleta be sentenced to 63 months of imprisonment followed by a period of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Archuleta was arrested on Nov. 9, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm on April 7, 2016, in Santa Fe County, N.M. Archuleta was indicted on the same charge on Dec. 7, 2016. According to the indictment, Archuleta was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted on two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, possession of a controlled substance, and attempt to traffic a controlled substance.
During today’s proceedings, Archuleta pled guilty to the indictment and admitted that on April 7, 2016, he threw a handgun into the backyard of a residence while attempting to flee from police. Archuleta also admitted knowing that he was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of his prior felony convictions. Archuleta remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA and the Santa Fe Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy S. Vasquez is prosecuting the case.
Hope Initiative Partners, City of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County and HAC Collaborate with DEA to Promote 13th National Prescription Drug Take-Back DayRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – The U.S. Attorney’s Office and UNM’s Health and Sciences Center are encouraging the public to participate in DEA’s 13th National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, April 29, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 pm as part of the prevention and education component of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative.
To raise public awareness about the nationwide event on April 29, 2017, the HOPE Initiative Partners and DEA are collaborating with the City of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County and Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC) in hosting a promotional Drug Take-Back event on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., during “Truckin’ Tuesday” in Civic Plaza. This promotional event will provide City and County employees and others who work in the downtown Albuquerque area with a safe, convenient and responsible way of disposing of unused, unwanted or expired medications.
During the last National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day in October 2016, Americans turned in 731, 269 pounds – almost 366 tons – of prescription drugs at almost 5,200 sites staffed by DEA and more than 4,000 of its state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Here in New Mexico, DEA and 50 law enforcement partners collected almost 4,400 pounds of medication at 79 collection sites throughout the state. Overall, in its 12 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 7.1 million pounds – more than 3,500 tons – of pills.
“Many individuals are lured into believing that taking a prescription pill is a safe way to get high. But many prescription drugs are highly addictive and just as dangerous as any street drug, and just as deadly,” said Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy of DEA’s El Paso Division. “The death toll from prescription painkillers has tripled in the last decade, and the problem is getting worst. More people die each year from prescription painkiller overdoses than from heroin, cocaine or any other illegal drug. Proper disposal of your unwanted prescription drugs is a simple way to help prevent overdose deaths.”
“Teens and young adults are especially vulnerable because they begin abusing prescription drugs and turn to heroin for a cheaper high,” said Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney. “Every day, 2,500 teens take a prescription drug to get high for the first time, and 65% of teens get their drugs from a medicine cabinet at home or from a friend or relative. Too many kids are dying young. Protect our kids by properly disposing of your unused, unwanted and expired medicine.”
“The UNM Health Sciences Center enthusiastically supports National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day and thanks the Drug Enforcement Administration for its leadership in this important initiative,” said Dr. Paul B. Roth, Chancellor of UNM Health Sciences Center. “UNM Hospital and the UNM Police Department will do their part on April 29th by hosting a drive-thru take-back site in the shuttle lanes at UNMH, 2211 Lomas Blvd NW. We encourage community members to take this opportunity to dispose of unused prescription drugs to protect themselves, their families and our community.”
Unused medicines in the home are a problem because the majority of the 6.4 million Americans who abused prescription drugs in 2015, including almost 4 million who abused prescription painkillers, say they obtained those drugs from friends and family, including from a home medicine cabinet, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health released last month. Some painkiller abusers move on to heroin: four out of five new heroin users started with painkillers. Almost 30,000 people – 78 a day – died from overdosing on these painkillers or heroin in 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Unused, unsecured prescription drugs, particularly opiates and benzodiazepines, can be stolen and diverted for illegal sale. This is not good for law enforcement and not good for our communities as we work to stem the tide of addictions,” said Bernalillo County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins. “Local governments are very grateful to DEA for their "take-back" initiative and other efforts to keep these illegal drugs off our streets.”
“Having unused medicines in your house is unsafe and dangerous as you never know who might get their hands on them,” said HAC Executive Director Jennifer Weiss-Burke. “There's no reason to hang on to leftover medicines, so take advantage of this opportunity to spring clean your medicine cabinet!”
Members of the public can find a nearby Prescription Drug Take-Back collection site by visiting www.dea.gov, clicking on the “Got Drugs?” icon, and entering their zip code into the search window, or they can call 800-882-9539. Only pills and other solids, like patches, will be accepted at DEA Drug Take Back collection sites – the public should not bring liquids, needles or other sharp items to take back sites. This service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico. The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.
Columbus Man Charged with Assaulting Federal OfficersRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – This morning a U.S. Magistrate Judge sitting in Las Cruces, N.M., found probable cause to support a criminal complaint charging Larry Todd Hoffmeister, 51, of Columbus, N.M., with assaulting federal officers. Hoffmeister was released pending trial under pretrial supervision and other conditions of release.
Hoffmeister was arrested on April 12, 2017, and was charged by a criminal complaint with resisting and assaulting federal officers that same day in Luna County, N.M. The complaint alleges that Hoffmeister discharged his weapon twice while U.S. Border Patrol Agents were observing him near the west side of the Columbus Port of Entry.
If convicted of the charge in the complaint, Hoffmeister faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Charges in complaint are merely accusations. All criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the U.S Border Patrol and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
Federal Jury Finds Laguna Pueblo Man Guilty on Second-Degree Murder ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A federal jury sitting in Albuquerque, N.M., returned a verdict late yesterday afternoon finding Jeffrey Antonio guilty of second-degree murder. The verdict was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney, Special Agent in Charge William McClure of District IV of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services, and Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales, III.
Antonio, 35, an enrolled member and resident of Laguna Pueblo, N.M., was indicted on March 23, 2016, on a second-degree murder charge. The indictment alleged that Antonio committed the offense on July 31, 2015, on the Sandia Pueblo Indian Reservation in Bernalillo County, N.M.
Antonio’s trial began on April 17, 2017, and concluded yesterday afternoon when the jury returned a guilty verdict on the sole count of the indictment. The evidence at trial established that on July 31, 2015, Antonio was driving a truck on the Sandia Pueblo Indian Reservation when he swerved into oncoming traffic and crashed head-on into another vehicle, injuring the driver and killing the passenger. Law enforcement officers who responded to the scene of the crash observed a cold four-pack of beer in Antonio’s truck that was missing two cans and noted that Antonio smelled of alcohol. The results of a blood test at a hospital following the crash revealed that Antonio had a BAC of .19.
During the trial, the jury learned that Antonio has two prior convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol; one in 2008 and another in 2011, which required that Antonio complete a first offender program. The program incorporates educational aspects of the risks associated with driving while impaired.
The jury deliberated less than two hours before returning a guilty verdict.
Antonio has been in federal custody since his arrest on March 28, 2016, and will remain detained pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. At sentencing, Antonio faces a statutory maximum penalty of life in prison.
This case was investigated by the Northern Pueblos Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Spindle and Michael D. Murphy are prosecuting the case.
Albuquerque Man Sentenced to Seven Years for Federal Meth Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Rumaldo Olivas, 27, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to an 84-month prison term followed by four years of supervised release for his methamphetamine trafficking conviction.
Olivas was arrested during an ATF-led investigation that resulted in the filing of 59 federal indictments and a federal criminal complaint charging 104 Bernalillo County residents with federal firearms and narcotics trafficking offenses. The investigation began in mid-April 2016, when ATF personnel from throughout the country joined forces with federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies in New Mexico to combat the high rate of violent crime in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. The investigators utilized a number of investigative techniques, including undercover operations, historical investigation and targeting of multi-convicted felons in possession of firearms.
The investigation was undertaken in support of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies collaborate with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution primarily based on their prior criminal convictions with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.
Olivas was arrested in Aug. 2016, on an indictment charging him with distribution of methamphetamine on July 27, 2016, in Bernalillo County, N.M. The indictment included forfeiture provisions requiring Olivas to forfeit $1,000. On Jan. 18, 2017, Olivas entered a guilty plea to the indictment under a plea agreement with the United States.
To date, 43 of the 104 defendants have entered guilty pleas, and 16 have been sentenced. The remaining defendants have entered not guilty pleas. Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of ATF and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Letitia C. Simms.
Alamogordo Man Sentenced to 78 Months for Federal Child Pornography ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE –William Allen Patterson, 34, of Alamogordo, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 78 months in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for his child pornography conviction. Patterson will be required to register as a sex offender when he completes his prison sentence.
Patterson was arrested on August 10, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with possessing and receiving visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit activity from 2002 to 2012 and Aug. 10, 2016, in Otero County, N.M. The investigation into Patterson began in Aug. 2016, after Patterson admitted to a polygraph examiner that he was addicted to child pornography while undergoing a polygraph examination as part of the application process to be a Border Patrol Agent. On Aug. 9, 2016, law enforcement searched Patterson’s residence and found a hard drive containing at least 10,000 images of child pornography.
On Jan. 5, 2017, Patterson pled guilty to a felony information charging him with receiving child pornography. In entering the guilty plea, Patterson admitted that on Aug. 9, 2016, he possessed a hard drive that contained numerous images and videos of child pornography which he had downloaded from the internet.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of Homeland Security Investigations and the Las Cruces Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa A. Ong of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
The case also was brought as a part of the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force’s mission, which is to locate, track, and capture Internet child sexual predators and Internet child pornographers in New Mexico. There are 82 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies associated with the New Mexico ICAC Task Force, which is funded by a grant administered by the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General. Anyone with information relating to suspected child predators and suspected child abuse is encouraged to contact federal or local law enforcement.
Mescalero Apache Man Sentenced to 78 Months in Prison for Federal Sexual Abuse ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Michael Ellis Treas-Baca, 31, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Nation who resides in Mescalero, N.M., was sentenced this afternoon in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 78 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his conviction on a sexual abuse charge. Treas-Baca will be required to register as a sex offender when he completes his prison sentence.
Treas-Baca was arrested on April 7, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with sexually abusing a Mescalero Apache woman on Sept. 13, 2015, on the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation in Otero County, N.M.
On Nov. 16, 2016, Treas-Baca pled guilty to a felony information charging him with sexual abuse. In entering the guilty plea, Treas-Baca admitted that on Sept. 13, 2016, he sexually abused the victim while she was unconscious and physically incapable of declining participating in the sexual act.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the Mescalero Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office as part of the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Pilot Project in the District of New Mexico, which is sponsored by the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women under a grant administered by the Pueblo of Laguna. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project seeks to train tribal prosecutors in federal law, procedure and investigative techniques to increase the likelihood that every viable violent offense against Native American women is prosecuted in either federal court or tribal court, or both. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project was largely driven by input gathered from annual tribal consultations on violence against women, and is another step in the Justice Department's on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in tribal communities.
Las Cruces Woman Sentenced to Prison for Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Leticia Maria Rodriguez, 35, of Las Cruces, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 51 months in prison for her methamphetamine trafficking conviction. She will be on supervised release for three years after completing her prison sentence.
Rodriguez was arrested in March 2016, and was charged by criminal complaint with possessing methamphetamine and heroin with intent to distribute and conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute on March 4, 2016, in Dona Ana County, N.M. According to the complaint, law enforcement agents located approximately 75.7 grams of methamphetamine, 43.3 grams of heroin and drug paraphernalia during the execution of a search warrant on Rodriguez’s residence.
Rodriguez pled guilty on May 10, 2016, to a felony information charging her with conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute. In entering the guilty plea, Rodriguez admitted that on March 4, 2016, law enforcement located approximately 65.8 grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in her residence during the execution of a search warrant. Rodriguez further admitted that she obtained the methamphetamine from a source of supply and intended to distribute the methamphetamine to other individuals.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces offices of Homeland Security Investigations and DEA. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Saltman of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office prosecuted the case.
Albuquerque Man Facing Federal Bank Robbery ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A U.S. Magistrate Judge sitting in Albuquerque, N.M., yesterday found probable cause to support a criminal complaint charging Isaac Joseph Dodge, 41, of Albuquerque, with armed bank robbery offenses. During the proceedings, Dodge waived his right to a detention hearing and was ordered to remain in custody pending trial.
Dodge was arrested on April 13, 2017, on a criminal complaint charging him with committing two armed bank robberies in Bernalillo County, N.M. The complaint alleges that Dodge robbed the BBVA Compass Bank located at 1201 San Pedro Drive NE in Albuquerque on March 7, 2017. According to the complaint, Dodge robbed the bank by brandishing a handgun, restraining a bank customer against her will while holding a gun to her head, and demanding money from two bank tellers. The complaint also alleges that Dodge robbed the US Bank branch located at 1418 Carlisle Boulevard NE in Albuquerque on April 4, 2017.
If convicted, Dodge faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in federal prison on each armed bank robbery charge. If the court determines that Dodge is subject to the three strikes enhancement based on his prior felony convictions, he faces a mandatory term of life imprisonment upon conviction. Charges in criminal complaints are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard R. Thomas is prosecuting the case under a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders primarily based on their prior criminal convictions for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.
Sierra County Man Sentenced for Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Ruben David Martinez, III, 29, of Truth or Consequences, N.M., was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 39 months in prison for his conviction on methamphetamine trafficking charges. Martinez will be on supervised release for three years following his prison sentence.
Martinez was arrested in May 2016, and was charged by criminal complaint with possessing methamphetamine and heroin with intent to distribute. According to the criminal complaint, Martinez committed the offenses on May 16, 2016, in Sierra County, N.M., by throwing plastic bags containing more than 40 grams of methamphetamine and 9.22 grams of heroin from his vehicle while fleeing from law enforcement officers who were attempting to execute a traffic stop on his vehicle. After the officers arrested Martinez, they executed a search warrant on his vehicle and residence and seized an additional 69.8 grams of methamphetamine, pills, multiple cellular phones, cash and drug paraphernalia.
On Aug. 30, 2016, Martinez pled guilty to a felony information charging him with possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute. In entering the guilty plea, Martinez admitted that on May 16, 2016, he possessed approximately 49 grams of methamphetamine when Sierra County Sheriff’s Office deputies initiated a traffic stop on his vehicle. Martinez also acknowledged that he intended to distribute the methamphetamine to other people.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of Homeland Security Investigations, the New Mexico State Police and the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Beck of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office prosecuted the case.
Former Owner of Albuquerque Smoke Shop Sentenced to Prison for Conviction on Federal Synthetic Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Firas Abuzuhrieh, 40, an Israeli national who is legal permanent resident residing in Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in Santa Fe, N.M., to 30 months of imprisonment for his conviction on federal synthetic drug trafficking charges. Abuzuhrieh will be deported after completing his prison sentence.
Abuzuhrieh was the owner of the Ace Smoke Shop & Hookah Lounge (Smoke Shop) located on Juan Tabo Blvd. NE in Albuquerque, when he and his employee Islam Kandil, 42, an Egyptian national residing in Albuquerque, were arrested on Sept. 23, 2014, on a criminal complaint with trafficking in synthetic cannabinoids, more commonly known as “spice.” Abruzuhrieh and Kandil subsequently were charged in a three-count indictment with conspiracy to distribute “spice” and with distributing “spice.”
According to the indictment, the two men conspired to sell “spice” in Bernalillo County from Aug. 14, 2014 to Aug. 18, 2014. It also charged Kandil with selling “spice” to an undercover DEA agent at the Smoke Shop on Aug. 14, 2014, and that Abuzuhrieh sold “spice” to an undercover DEA agent at the Smoke Shop on Aug. 18, 2014.
The indictment was superseded in July 2015 to expand the time frame of the conspiracy to cover the period between Aug. 14, 2014 and Sept. 22, 2014. The superseding indictment also added three counts of possession of “spice” with intent to distribute against Abuzuhrieh.
Kandil pled guilty on Sept. 22, 2015, to an information charging him with delivery of misbranded food, drugs, or tobacco products into interstate commerce. Kandil was also sentenced on Sept. 22, 2015, to time served to be followed by a year of supervised release.
Abuzuhrieh elected to proceed to trial on the five-count superseding indictment, which concluded on Aug. 27, 2015, when the jury returned a verdict finding him guilty on all five counts. The evidence at trial established that Abuzuhrieh sold “spice” to an undercover DEA agent on Aug. 18, 2014. It also established that on Sept. 22, 2014, when DEA agents arrested Abuzuhrieh, he was in possession of a key that opened a suite located in the same complex as the Smoke Shop. When the agents searched the Smoke Shop and the suite, they found approximately 62 kilograms of “spice,” inclusive of packaging.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer M. Rozzoni and Shana B. Long.
The controlled substance analogues charged in the indictment are commonly referred to as synthetic cannabinoids or “spice.” According to the DEA, over the past several years, there has been a growing use of synthetic cannabinoids. Smoke-able herbal blends marketed as being “legal” and providing a marijuana-like high have become increasingly popular because they are easily available and, in many cases, more potent and dangerous than marijuana. These products consist of plant material that has been coated with dangerous psychoactive compounds that mimic THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. These substances, however, have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for human consumption, and there is no oversight of the manufacturing process. Synthetic cannabinoids often are labeled as incense to mask their intended purpose.
Albuquerque Man Sentenced to Fifteen Years for Commercial Sex Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney, Special Agent in Charge Waldemar Rodriguez of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in El Paso, Texas, and Chief Gorden G. Eden, Jr., of the Albuquerque Police Department (APD), announced that Shane Roach, 27, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced last week in federal court for his conviction on a commercial sex trafficking charge.
Senior U.S. District Judge James A. Parker sentenced Roach on April 13, 2017, to a fifteen-year term of imprisonment to be followed by five years of supervised release. Roach also was ordered to register as a sex offender when he completes his prison sentence.
Roach was arrested on July 1, 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with commercial sex trafficking. Roach subsequently was indicted and charged with using force, threats of threats, and coercion to force a victim to engage in commercial sex acts. The indictment charged Roach with committing the crime between May and June of 2015 in Bernalillo County, N.M.
Roach went to trial on the indictment on Oct. 4, 2016, and the jury returned a guilty verdict on Oct. 7, 2016.
During the trial, the victim told the jury that in early 2015, she was a heroin addict who turned to prostitution to support her heroin habit. The victim met Roach in late April 2015, and turned to him for help shortly thereafter when she fell on hard times. For the next month and a half, Roach was the victim’s pimp and forced her to engage in prostitution. The victim said that, during that time, Roach forced her to engage in sex with men four or five times a day, and that Roach kept all her earnings, amounting to $400.00 to $500.00 a day. The victim also testified that Roach beat her on a number of occasions, brandished a firearm at her, and threatened to harm her family if she left him. During the month and a half during which she was sex trafficked by Roach, the victim had only three or four days off.
An APD detective testified at trial that on May 27, 2015, while acting in an undercover capacity, he arranged to meet the victim at an Albuquerque-area hotel after getting her contact information from an online prostitution advertisement. The meeting was brief because the victim recognized the detective’s partner, who was outside, as a police officer, and told the undercover officer that there were officers outside. The undercover officer testified that, on June 10, 2015, APD received a call for help from the victim and he was one of the officers who responded. During that meeting, the victim told APD that she was being sex trafficked by Roach, and the investigation leading to Roach’s conviction began that day.
Roach testified in his own defense. While generally acknowledging that he was the victim’s pimp, Roach denied using threats of force, force or coercion to force to the victim to engage in commercial sex acts.
This case was investigated by the HSI office in Albuquerque and APD’s Vice Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Norman Cairns and Kimberly A. Brawley prosecuted the case.
Albuquerque Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Meth Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Joshua Sedillo, 30, of Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court to a methamphetamine trafficking charge.
Sedillo and his co-defendant Ramon Quezada, 32, were arrested during an ATF-led investigation that resulted in the filing of 59 federal indictments and a federal criminal complaint charging 104 Bernalillo County residents with federal firearms and narcotics trafficking offenses. The investigation began in mid-April 2016, when ATF personnel from throughout the country joined forces with federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies in New Mexico to combat the high rate of violent crime in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. The investigators utilized a number of investigative techniques, including undercover operations, historical investigation and targeting of multi-convicted felons in possession of firearms.
The investigation was undertaken in support of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies collaborate with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution primarily based on their prior criminal convictions with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.
Sedillo and Quezada were arrested in July 2016, on an indictment charging them with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine on May 11, 2016, and Sedillo individually with distribution of methamphetamine on May 25, 2016. According to the indictment, the offenses took place in Bernalillo County, N.M.
During today’s proceedings, Sedillo pled guilty to the indictment charging him with distributing methamphetamine on May 11, 2016 and May 25, 2016. Sedillo entered the guilty plea without the benefit of a plea agreement. At sentencing, Sedillo faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 40 years in prison. Sedillo remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
To date, 43 of the 104 defendants have entered guilty pleas, including Quezada, and 15 have been sentenced. The remaining defendants have entered not guilty pleas. Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of ATF and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Wishard.
Valencia County Woman Sentenced to Prison for Federal Heroin Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Fabrienne Rosalinda Morales, 40, of Peralta, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for her heroin trafficking conviction.
Morales and her and co-defendant Christopher Gonzales, 20, of Rio Rancho, N.M., were arrested in Jan. 2016, on a five-count indictment charging Morales and Gonzales with conspiracy, Gonzales with possessing heroin and Suboxone with intent to distribute, and Morales with distributing heroin and Suboxone. The indictment was superseded on Feb. 9, 2016, to add a third defendant, Ismael Vargas, 29, of Belen, N.M., to the conspiracy charge. According to the superseding indictment, the three defendants committed the crimes charged on Aug. 2, 2015, in Sandoval County, N.M. At the time, Gonzales was a corrections officer at the Sandoval County Detention Center.
On Jan. 13, 2017, Morales pled guilty to distributing heroin. In entering the guilty plea, Morales admitted that on Aug. 2, 2015, she took heroin to the Sandoval County Detention Center and gave it to a corrections officer.
On March 9, 2017, Vargas pled guilty to Count 1 of the superseding indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute heroin. In entering the guilty plea, Vargas admitted that on Aug. 2, 2015, while he was an inmate at the Sandoval County Detention Center, he arranged for heroin to be delivered to the jail. Vargas further admitted that he facilitated the payment of money to a corrections officer to get the heroin into the jail. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Vargas faces up to 41 months in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court. Vargas is currently scheduled for sentencing on June 14, 2017.
On Feb. 28, 2017, Gonzales pled guilty to possessing heroin with intent to distribute. In entering the guilty plea, Gonzales admitted that on Aug. 2, 2015, while he was working as an officer at the Sandoval County Detention Center, he brought heroin to the Detention Center with the intention of delivering it to an inmate. A sentencing hearing for Gonzales is currently scheduled for May 31, 2017.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Han is prosecuting the case as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.
The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.
Taos County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Carjacking ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Richard Howieson, 56, of Costilla, N.M., pled guilty this afternoon in Albuquerque, N.M., to a federal carjacking charge. The plea agreement recommends that Howieson be sentenced to a term of imprisonment within the range of 12 to 36 months followed by a period of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Howieson was arrested on Oct. 11, 2016, on a three-count indictment charging him with carjacking, carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The indictment was superseded on Feb. 7, 2017, to charge Howieson with carjacking and carrying a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. According to the indictment, Howieson committed these crimes on Feb. 19, 2013, in Taos County, N.M.
During today’s proceedings, Howieson pled guilty to a felony information charging him with carjacking on Feb. 19, 2013. Howieson remains in federal custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Santa Fe office of the FBI and the New Mexico State Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney George Kraehe.
Rio Rancho Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison for Federal Child Sexual Exploitation ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Joe Medina, 38, of Rio Rancho, N.M., was sentenced this morning in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., for his conviction for enticing a child to travel in interstate commerce for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. Medina will serve an eight-year term of imprisonment to be followed by 15 years of supervised release. Medina will be required to register as a sex offender after completing his prison sentence.
Medina’s sentence was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney, Special Agent in Charge Terry Wade of the FBI’s Albuquerque Division, and Acting Police Chief Paul Rogers of the Rio Rancho Police Department (RRPD).
Medina was arrested in Indianapolis, Ind., on July 20, 2015, based on a federal arrest warrant issued on a criminal complaint filed by the FBI in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico. According to the criminal complaint, on July 9, 2015, the victim’s mother filed a missing person’s report to the RRPD asserting that the victim was missing.
The RRPD’s investigation revealed that Medina took the victim to Denver, Colo., where they boarded a bus. On July 12, 2015, Medina was arrested on a New Mexico state warrant when Medina and the victim were found on a bus that had stopped in Indianapolis.
Medina was indicted on Aug. 11, 2015, and was charged with transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity between July 9, 2015 and July 12, 2015, and production of a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
On Nov. 7, 2016, Medina pled guilty to a felony information charging him with coercion and enticement. In entering the guilty plea, Medina admitted that from July 9, 2015 through July 12, 2015, he enticed the 16-years-old victim to leave Sandoval County, N.M., with the intent to travel to New York, where Medina intended to engage in illegal sexual activity.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI, RRPD, Corrales Police Department and the New Mexico Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory. The 13th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, Indiana State Police and FBI in Denver and Indianapolis assisted in the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Mease prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit.
Non-Indian Man from Espanola Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Zuni Pueblo WomanRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Steven Baros, 34, of Espanola, N.M., pled guilty this morning in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to an assault charge. The plea agreement includes a recommendation that Baros be sentenced to a term of imprisonment within the range of 18 to 24 months followed by a period of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Baros was charged by criminal complaint on May 17, 2016, with assault resulting in serious bodily injury and assault with a dangerous weapon. According to the complaint, Baros assaulted his intimate partner, a Zuni Pueblo woman, by punching and kicking her arms and legs, kicking and stomping on her head, throwing her to the ground, and threatening her with a knife. Baros also attempted to set the victim’s house on fire before leaving in the victim’s vehicle.
Baros subsequently was indicted on June 30, 2016, and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, a knife, and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. According to the indictment, Baros committed these crimes on May 5, 2016, on Nambe Pueblo in Santa Fe County, N.M.
During today’s proceedings, Baros pled guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. In entering the guilty plea, Baros admitted that on May 5, 2016, he assaulted the victim by punching and kicking her arms and legs, pulling her hair, throwing her to the ground, and kicking her when she was on the ground.
Baros remains in federal custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Northern Pueblos Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case as part of the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Pilot Project in the District of New Mexico, which is sponsored by the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women under a grant administered by the Pueblo of Laguna. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project seeks to train tribal prosecutors in federal law, procedure and investigative techniques to increase the likelihood that every viable violent offense against Native American women is prosecuted in either federal court or tribal court, or both. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project was largely driven by input gathered from annual tribal consultations on violence against women, and is another step in the Justice Department's on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in tribal communities.
Mescalero Apache Man Sentenced for Federal Assault ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Matthew Joel Torres, 27, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Nation who resides in Mescalero, N.M., was sentenced this afternoon in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 35 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for his assault conviction.
Torres was arrested on April 18, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with assaulting a Mescalero Apache man by stabbing him twice in the stomach. Torres committed the assault on June 13, 2015, on the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation in Otero County, N.M.
Torres pled guilty on Aug. 24, 2016, to a felony information charging him with assault with a dangerous weapon. In entering the guilty plea, Torres admitted that on June 13, 2015, he assaulted the victim by stabbing him in the abdomen twice with a knife with the intention of causing the victim bodily harm.
This case was investigated by the Mescalero Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
Las Cruces Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Exploitation ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Ignacio Salcido Jr., 38, of Las Cruces, N.M., pled guilty last week in federal court to transporting a minor in interstate commerce for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. The plea agreement recommends that Salcido be sentenced to a term of imprisonment within the range of 120 to 135 months to be followed by a period of supervised release to be determined by the court. In the plea agreement, Salcido agreed to pay $210,012 in restitution to any victim who requests restitution prior to sentencing. Salcido will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Salcido was arrested on Aug. 26, 2016, by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on a criminal complaint alleging that he transported a child under the age of 18 years in interstate commerce on Aug. 22 and 23, 2016, with the intention of engaging in sexual activity. According to the criminal complaint, Salcido traveled with the victim from Phoenix, Ariz., to Juarez, Mexico, then to Las Cruces, and engaged in sexual activity with the victim during that time. Salcido subsequently was indicted on the same charge on Nov. 9, 2016.
According to court documents, Salcido picked up the victim on the side of the road in Phoenix on Aug. 22, 2016, while traveling with two other individuals (witnesses) from San Diego, Calif. Court documents further allege that the witnesses observed Salcido attempt to sexually abuse the victim on several occasions during the trip while the victim was sleeping in the vehicle. Later that day, Salcido drove the victim and the witnesses into Juarez, where he again attempted to sexually abuse the victim while the witnesses were not in the vehicle. After returning to the United States, Salcido drove the victim and the witnesses to his residence in Las Cruces. At his residence, Salcido allegedly forced the victim to engage in sexual activity. The investigation into Salcido began on, Aug. 23, 2016, when one of the witnesses reported the sexual assault to school officials in Las Cruces.
On April 12, 2017, Salcido pled guilty to the indictment and admitted that on Aug. 22, 2016, he transported the victim, who was under the age of 18 years, in interstate commerce for the purpose of engaging in sexual intercourse with the victim. Salcido remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of HSI and the Las Cruces Police Department with assistance from the 3rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander B. Shapiro and Aaron O. Jordan of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office are prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
Mexican National Sentenced to Prison for Participating in Marijuana Trafficking and Money Laundering Ring Operating in Southeastern New Mexico and West TexasRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Christian Hugo Contreras, 34, a Mexican national residing in El Paso, Tex., was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 97 months in prison for his role in a marijuana trafficking and money laundering ring operating in southeastern New Mexico and west Texas. Contreras will be deported after completing his prison sentence.
Contreras was one of twelve defendants facing drug trafficking and money laundering charges as the result of a multi-agency investigation targeting marijuana traffickers and money launderers operating in southeastern New Mexico and west Texas. The charges against the defendants, which are contained in three separate federal indictments, were the result of an investigation that began in Oct. 2014, and initially targeted a marijuana trafficking organization allegedly led by Rodolfo Lopez, 33, of El Paso, that transported marijuana from El Paso to Chaves County, N.M., and Lubbock, Tex. The investigation expanded to include two smaller drug trafficking organizations that transported marijuana to Lubbock through Chaves County and Eddy County, N.M. The investigation was designated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, a nationwide Department of Justice program that combines the resources and unique expertise of federal agencies, along with their local counterparts, in a coordinated effort to disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations.
In one case, ten of the members of the marijuana importation and distribution ring, including Contreras, were charged in a 42-count indictment with drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracies and a series of drug and money laundering substantive offenses. The indictment charged all ten defendants with participating in a marijuana trafficking conspiracy between Nov. 2014 and April 2015 that distributed more than 100 kilograms of marijuana in Chaves County and other places. It also charged six of the defendants with participating in a conspiracy to launder the proceeds of their marijuana trafficking activities. Two defendants were charged with maintaining premises in Roswell, N.M., for the purpose of storing marijuana, and three defendants were charged with using a communications facility, telephones, to further the commission of drug trafficking crimes. The indictment also included 26 counts charging certain defendants with drug trafficking crimes and two counts charging certain defendants with money laundering.
In a separate case, Contreras and four other defendants were charged in another marijuana trafficking conspiracy. The indictment in that case charged the defendants with participating in a marijuana trafficking conspiracy between March 1, 2015 and March 24, 2015, in Chaves County. It also charged four of the defendants with possessing marijuana in Eddy County on March 23, 2015, with the intention of distributing it to others.
A third case charged three defendants with conspiracy to commit a marijuana trafficking crime in Eddy County between Feb. 12, 2015 and Feb. 26, 2015. Two of the defendants were also charged with possession of marijuana in Eddy County on Feb. 26, 2015, with the intention of distributing it to others.
On Nov. 13, 2015, Contreras entered guilty pleas in the two cases in which he was charged. With respect to the first case, Contreras pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to commit money laundering, eight counts of using a communication device to facilitate drug trafficking crimes, and 11 counts of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and money laundering. In the second case, Contreras pled guilty to two counts of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. In entering the guilty pleas, Contreras admitted that from Nov. 24, 2015 through April 11, 2015, he conspired with his co-defendants to transport between 100 and 400 kilograms of marijuana through New Mexico.
To date, ten of the 12 defendants charged in the three cases have entered guilty pleas and nine have been sentenced. Rodolfo Lopez, 31, of El Paso, and Emmanuel Lopez-Tellez, 33, a Mexican national have yet to be arrested and are considered fugitives. Charges in indictments are only accusations. All criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
These cases are the result of an investigation by the Las Cruces offices of the DEA and IRS Criminal Investigation, the Hatch Police Department, the Sunland Police Department, the Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force, the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force, the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office. The El Paso office of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas and the Lubbock office of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas assisted in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah M. Davenport of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting these cases.
The Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force is comprised of officers and investigators from the Chaves County Sheriff’s Office and the Roswell Police Department, and the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force is comprised of officers and investigators from the Artesia Police Department, Carlsbad Police Department, Eddy County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, HSI, the Probation and Parole Division of the New Mexico Corrections Department and the 5th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Both Task Forces are part of the New Mexico HIDTA Region VI Drug Task Force. The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program was created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. HIDTA is a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) which provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States and seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Kirby Cleveland on Charges Arising Out of Murder of Tribal Police OfficerRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A federal grand jury sitting in Albuquerque, N.M., has filed an indictment charging Kirby Cleveland, 32, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation from Prewitt, N.M., with charges arising out of the murder of Houston James Largo, a tribal police officer of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety. Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney, Special Agent in Charge Terry Wade of the FBI’s Albuquerque Division, and Director Jesse Delmar of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety announced the filing of the indictment.
Cleveland is scheduled to be arraigned on the eight-count indictment at 9:30 a.m. on April 20, 2017 in the federal courthouse in Albuquerque. The indictment charges Cleveland with the following offenses:
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Count 1, murdering an officer and employee of the United States who was engaged in the performance of his official duties;
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Count 2, committing felony murder while escaping from an institution of confinement;
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Count 3, first-degree murder;
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Count 4, escaping from an institution of confinement where he was confined after his conviction on a felony offense;
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Count 5, using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, the murder an officer and employee of the United States as charged in Count 1;
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Count 6, using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, felony murder as charged in Count 2;
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Count 7, using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, first-degree murder as charged in Count 3; and
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Count 8, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The charges in the indictment arise out of the alleged murder of Officer Largo on the night of March 11, 2017, while the Officer was responding to a domestic violence call on the Navajo Indian Reservation in McKinley County, N.M. The charges also arise from Cleveland’s alleged escape between Feb. 26, 2017 and March 11, 2017, from a halfway house in Albuquerque in Bernalillo County, N.M., where he was confined by order of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
Counts 1, 2, 5 and 6 of the indictment each carry a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment upon conviction, and the indictment includes “Special Findings” under 18 U.S.C. § 3591 with respect to these four death-eligible offenses. The Special Findings preserve the United States’ ability to seek the death penalty. The Attorney General of the United States will decide whether or not to seek the death penalty based on the recommendation of the U.S. Attorney and after carefully considering the defendant’s background and the circumstances of the crime.
The maximum penalties upon conviction for the other offenses charged in the indictment are: Count 3, the first-degree murder charge, life imprisonment; Count 4, the escape charge, five years of imprisonment; Count 7, using a firearm during and in relation to first-degree murder charge, imprisonment for a minimum of ten years and a maximum of life; and Count 8, the felon in possession charge, ten years of imprisonment. The sentence imposed on Count 7 must be served consecutive to any sentence imposed on the other charges.
Cleveland was arrested on tribal charges on March 12, 2017, by the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety and remained in tribal custody until March 20, 2017, when the tribal charges against him were dismissed. Immediately upon dismissal of the tribal charges, the FBI arrested Cleveland on a federal criminal complaint charging him with killing Officer Largo. Cleveland has been in federal custody since that time and will remain in custody pending trial on the indictment.
Charges in indictments and criminal complaints are only accusations. All criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Gallup and Albuquerque offices of the FBI and the Crownpoint, Shiprock and Chinle offices of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety investigated this case, with assistance from the New Mexico State Police, McKinley County Sheriff’s Office, Albuquerque Police Department and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Niki Tapia-Brito and Michael Murphy are prosecuting the case.
Cleveland Indictment-
Albuquerque Man Sentenced to Prison for Failing to Update his Sex Offender RegistrationRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Daniel Roy Nard, 38, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 15 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for violating the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Nard will be required to register as a sex offender when he completes his prison sentence.
SORNA, also known as the Adam Walsh Protection and Safety Act, requires that a convicted sex offender register in each jurisdiction where the offender resides, where the offender is employed, or where the offender is a student, and that the sex offender maintain current registrations.
Nard was charged by indictment on Dec. 17, 2015, with violating SORNA by failing to update his sex offender registration on Oct. 30, 2015, or thereafter. Nard was required to register as a sex offender and to maintain an updated registration based on a federal child pornography conviction in Montana in 2007. According to the indictment, Nard was required to maintain an updated sex offender registration in Bernalillo County, N.M.
On Jan. 9, 2017, Nard pled guilty to the indictment without the benefit of a plea agreement.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon K. Stanford.
Two Albuquerque Men Plead Guilty and Two Others Sentenced for Violating Federal Firearms and Drug Trafficking LawsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Two Albuquerque men pled guilty and two others were sentenced today in federal court for violating federal drug trafficking and firearms laws. Simon Shields, 37, pled guilty to a methamphetamine trafficking charge, and Adrian Hammond, 30, pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jovas Brown, 30, was sentenced to 36 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his methamphetamine trafficking conviction, and Andrew Kyle, 36, was sentenced to time served followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Shields, Hammond, Brown and Kyle were arrested during an ATF-led investigation that resulted in the filing of 59 federal indictments and a federal criminal complaint charging 104 Bernalillo County residents with federal firearms and narcotics trafficking offenses. The investigation began in mid-April 2016, when ATF personnel from throughout the country joined forces with federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies in New Mexico to combat the high rate of violent crime in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. The investigators utilized a number of investigative techniques, including undercover operations, historical investigation and targeting of multi-convicted felons in possession of firearms.
The investigation was undertaken in support of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies collaborate with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution primarily based on their prior criminal convictions with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.
Shields and his co-defendant Ray Martinez, 45, were charged in an indictment with conspiracy and methamphetamine trafficking offenses. The indictment was subsequently superseded on July 28, 2016, to include David Corral-Valenzuela, 45. The superseding indictment charged Martinez and Shields with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine on June 13, 2016, Shields and Corral-Valenzuela with conspiracy and distribution of methamphetamine on June 21, 2016, and Corral-Valenzuela with being an alien in possession of a firearm and illegal reentry into the United States on July 6, 2016. The superseding indictment included forfeiture provisions requiring the co-defendants to forfeit $6,550 to the United States. During today’s proceedings, Shields pled guilty to Count 2 of the superseding indictment charging him with distribution of methamphetamine and admitted that on June 13, 2016, he aided and abetted his co-defendant by transporting approximately 56.8 grams of methamphetamine, which was later sold to an undercover law enforcement agent. Shields further admitted that he assisted another co-defendant in selling methamphetamine on June 21, 2016. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Shields will be sentenced within the range of 87 to 108 months in prison.
Hammond was charged in a criminal complaint on June 27, 2016, with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition on June 26, 2016, in Bernalillo County. Hammond was subsequently indicted on the same charge on July 12, 2016. According to the indictment, Hammond was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of his prior felony convictions for theft by taking, obstruction of law enforcement officer, being a felon in possession of a firearm, false imprisonment and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. During today’s proceedings, Hammond pled guilty to the indictment and admitted that he was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition on June 26, 2016, because of his status as a convicted felon. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Hammond will be sentenced within the range of 36 to 40 months in prison.
Brown and his co-defendant Brent Williams, 35, were charged in an indictment with conspiracy and distribution of methamphetamine on May 16, 2016, distribution of crack cocaine on May 26, 2016, and Williams individually with distribution of methamphetamine on May 23, 2016 and June 7, 2016. On Dec. 7, 2016, Brown pled guilty to a felony information and admitted that on May 16, 2016, he distributed approximately 58.8 grams of methamphetamine.
Kyle was charged by indictment on July 28, 2016, with being a felon in possession of a firearm on June 22, 2016, in Bernalillo County, N.M. Kyle was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of his prior conviction of possession of a controlled substance. Kyle pled guilty to the indictment on Nov. 4, 2016, without the benefit of a plea agreement.
To date, 42 of the 104 defendants have entered guilty pleas and 15 have been sentenced. The remaining defendants have entered not guilty pleas. Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
These cases were investigated by the Albuquerque office of ATF. Shields is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly A. Brawley and Paul Mysliwiec; Hammond is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Presiliano Torrez; Brown was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David M. Walsh and Norman Cairns; and Kyle was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rumaldo R. Armijo.
Prior Felon from Roswell Sentenced to Prison for Violating Federal Narcotics and Firearms LawsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Javier Madrid, 29, of Roswell, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 41 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for violating the federal narcotics trafficking and firearms laws.
Madrid was arrested in Nov. 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with possession of methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine with intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of ammunition. According to the complaint, on July 31, 2015, law enforcement agents executed a federal search warrant on Madrid’s residence and vehicle in Roswell where they discovered 17 grams of methamphetamine, 25 grams of heroin, 42 grams of cocaine, $3,960 in cash, and multiple rounds of ammunition.
Madrid was subsequently indicted on Feb. 17, 2016, and charged with possession of methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine with intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of ammunition. According to the indictment, Madrid committed these crimes on July 31, 2015, in Chaves County, N.M. At the time, Madrid was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of a narcotics trafficking crime.
On April 27, 2016, Madrid pled guilty to the indictment. In entering the guilty plea, Madrid admitted that on July 31, 2015, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at his home and seized methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine, which he intended to distribute to others. Madrid also admitted that the agents seized multiple rounds of ammunition during the search, which he was prohibited from possessing because of his prior felony convictions.
This case was investigated by the Roswell office of the FBI, the New Mexico State Police and the Roswell Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy M. Castellano of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office prosecuted the case as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, Bernalillo County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins, Albuquerque City Councilor Diane Gibson, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.
The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.
Albuquerque Man Sentenced to 115 Months for Unlawfully Possessing a Firearm and Ammunition in McKinley CountyRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Cowey Edsitty, 32, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 115 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Edsitty was arrested in July 2016, on an indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition on May 3, 2016, in McKinley County, N.M. According to court documents, Edsitty was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of his prior felony convictions for residential burglary, assault with intent to commit a violent felony, aggravated battery, and aggravated fleeing from a law enforcement officer.
On Dec. 15, 2016, Edsitty pled guilty to the indictment without the benefit of a plea agreement.
This case was investigated by the Gallup office of the FBI and the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Y. Ramirez prosecuted the case.
San Juan County Felon Pleads Guilty to Violating Federal Firearms LawsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Justin Krantz, 32, of Aztec, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Krantz will be sentenced to 57 months in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Krantz arrested in Nov. 2016, on an indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition on May 4, 2016, in San Juan County, N.M. According to the indictment, Krantz was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of his prior conviction on drug trafficking charges.
During today’s proceedings, Krantz pled guilty to the indictment and admitted that on May 4, 2016, he was in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Krantz further admitted that he was prohibited from being in possession of firearms or ammunition because of his prior felony convictions. Krantz remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eva Fontanez is prosecuting the case.
Navajo Man from Shiprock Pleads Guilty to Federal Involuntary Manslaughter and Assault ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Travis Arthur Mustache, 34, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Shiprock, N.M., pled guilty this morning in Albuquerque, N.M., to federal involuntary manslaughter and assault charges.
Mustache was arrested in March 2017, on an indictment charging him with involuntary manslaughter and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. According to the complaint, Mustache killed one victim and seriously injured another while driving his vehicle under the influence of alcohol on the Navajo Indian Reservation in San Juan County, N.M., on June 15, 2016.
During today’s proceedings, Mustache pled guilty to the indictment and admitted killing one victim and assaulting the second victim, causing her to sustain serious bodily injury, by driving recklessly while under the influence of alcohol. Mustache acknowledged that the alcohol rendered him incapable of exercising clear judgment and a steady hand in operating the vehicle. According to plea agreement, the second victim suffered from rib fractures, a liver laceration, bruised lung tissue and scalp bruises.
At sentencing, Mustache faces a maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI, the Shiprock office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety and the New Mexico State Police and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Mease.
Mexican National Sentenced to Ten Years for Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking Conspiracy ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE –Javier Amador-Flores, 50, a permanent resident from Mexico who lived in Denver City, Tex., was sentenced today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 120 months in prison for his methamphetamine trafficking conviction. Amador-Flores will be deported after he completes his prison sentence
Amador-Flores was arrested on July 29, 2015, on an indictment charging him and four co-defendants, Joel Dominguez-Morales, 41, Maria Marcelina Cardoza-Burciaga, 41, Jose Manuel Trujillo, 42, all Mexican nationals, and Myrna Orozco, 32, a U.S. citizen, with participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Lea County, N.M., from May 1, 2015 through May 6, 2015.
Amador-Flores elected to proceed to trial and was found guilty July 20, 2016. The evidence at trial established that participated in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy by receiving and storing shipments of methamphetamine at the residence he shared with Orozco. Other members of the conspiracy distributed the methamphetamine in Lea County.
According to court documents, on May 1, 2015, an undercover agent arranged to purchase methamphetamine from Trujillo. On May 6, 2015, Trujillo informed the undercover agent that Dominguez-Morales would deliver the methamphetamine to the agent. Thereafter, Dominguez-Morales met with the undercover agent at a restaurant in Hobbs and directed the agent to meet him at an abandoned bar in a rural area outside of Hobbs, where a woman would deliver the methamphetamine. Later that day, law enforcement officers arrested Dominguez-Morales and Cardoza-Burciaga near the abandoned bar and seized almost four kilograms of methamphetamine.
Dominguez-Morales pled guilty on Sept. 4, 2015, and was sentenced on Sept. 21, 2016, to 145 months in prison. Cardoza-Burciaga pled guilty on Aug. 26, 2015, and was sentenced on Aug. 17, 2016. Orozco pled guilty on Nov. 6, 2015, and was sentenced on March 29, 2017.
Trujillo has yet to be arrested and is considered a fugitive. The charges against Trujillo are merely accusations and he is presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Lea County Drug Task Force, with assistance from the Yoakum County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brock Taylor and Matthew Beck of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office are prosecuting the case.
The Lea County Drug Task Force is comprised of officers from the Lea County Sheriff’s Office, Hobbs Police Department, Lovington Police Department, Eunice Police Department the Tatum Police Department and the Jal Police Department, and is part of the NM HIDTA Region VI Drug Task Force. The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program was created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. HIDTA is a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) which provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States and seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.
Espanola Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Bank Robbery Charge Arising Out of Robbery of Bank in Taos CountyRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Troy Montoya, 24, of Espanola, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to a bank robbery charge. The guilty plea was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney, Special Agent in Charge Terry Wade of the Albuquerque Division of the FBI, Sheriff Jerry L. Hogrefe of the Taos County Sheriff’s Department and Town Marshal David Smith of the Red River Marshal’s Office.
Montoya, and co-defendants Jennifer Marissa Miera, 23, of Questa, N.M., and Shawn Michael Goodrum, Jr., 20, of Pima, Ariz., were arrested in Oct. 2016, on a criminal complaint charging them with offenses arising out of the robbery of the People’s Bank located at 121 East Main Street in Red River, N.M., on Oct. 6, 2016.
According to the complaint, Miera, conspired with Montoya to rob the bank by planning the robbery and purchasing items used to carry out the robbery, including gloves and medical masks, on Oct. 5, 2016. It further alleged that Miera and Montoya robbed the bank on Oct. 6, 2016. At the time, Miera was employed as a personal banker by the bank. The complaint alleged that Miera had attempted unsuccessfully to solicit Goodrum’s participation in the bank robbery conspiracy. Instead, Goodrum allegedly blackmailed Miera into giving him part of the proceeds from the robbery by threatening to report her role in the robbery to the police.
Montoya, Miera and Goodrum were indicted on Nov. 1, 2016. The three-count indictment charged Miera and Montoya with conspiracy to rob the bank and with bank robbery, and Goodrum with receiving proceeds from the bank robbery. According to the indictment, the defendants committed the crimes in Taos County, N.M.
During today’s proceedings, Montoya pled guilty to Count 1 of the indictment charging him with conspiracy. In entering the guilty plea, Montoya admitted that from Oct. 5 through 11, 2016, he acted with Miera and helped her facilitate the robbery of the People’s Bank in Red River on Oct. 6, 2016. Montoya did so by meeting with Miera to plan the bank robbery, purchasing disguise items, preparing a demand note and serving as the get-away driver of the bank robbery. At sentencing, Montoya faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
On March 14, 2017, Miera pled guilty to Counts 1 and 2 of the indictment charging her with conspiracy and bank robbery without the benefit of a plea agreement. At sentencing, Miera faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
Goodrum has entered a plea of not guilty to the charge against him in the indictment and is pending trial, which currently is scheduled for May 22, 2017 in Santa Fe, N.M. Charges in criminal complaints and indictment are merely accusations. Criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI, the Taos County Sheriff’s Office, and the Red River Marshal’s Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul H. Spiers.
Colorado Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Meth Trafficking Charges in New MexicoRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Saul Cerros, 36, of Northglenn, Colo., pled guilty yesterday in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to methamphetamine trafficking charges. The guilty plea was entered under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Cerros was arrested on Sept. 28, 2016, on a four-count indictment charging him with methamphetamine trafficking charges. Count 1 charged Cerros with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine in March 2015. The indictment also charged Cerros with distributing methamphetamine twice on March 27, 2015, and again on March 31, 2015. According to the indictment, Cerros committed the offenses in Dona Ana County, N.M.
During yesterday’s proceedings, Cerros pled guilty to the indictment. In entering the guilty plea, Cerros admitted selling an aggregate of 891.56 grams of pure methamphetamine to undercover law enforcement agents on three separate occasions; twice on March 27, 2015, and a third time on March 31, 2015. Cerros further admitted that he personally smuggled the methamphetamine involved in one of the drug deals into the United States from Mexico.
At sentencing, Cerros faces a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of ten years to a maximum of life in federal prison. Cerros remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the HIDTA Regional Interagency Drug Task Force/Metro Narcotics Task Force and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Segovia of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
The HIDTA Regional Interagency Drug Task Force/Metro Narcotics Task Force is comprised of officers from the Las Cruces Police Department, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, HSI and the New Mexico State Police. The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program was created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. HIDTA is a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) which provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States and seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.
Albuquerque Man Sentenced to Prison for Robbing Two Fast-Food Restaurants and Brandishing a Firearm During the RobberiesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Sheldon Harris, 28, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 114 months in prison for violating the Hobbs Act by robbing two Albuquerque-area fast food restaurants and brandishing a firearm during the robberies. Harris will be on supervised release for two years following his prison sentence. Harris was also ordered to pay restitution to the fast food restaurants.
Harris was arrested on April 20, 2016, on a ten-count indictment charging him with: robbing Albuquerque-area Subway restaurants on Aug. 22, 2015, Sept. 6, 2015, Sept. 8, 2016, Sept. 26, 2015, and Oct. 5, 2015; robbing Albuquerque-area Blake’s Lotaburger restaurants on Oct. 1, 2015, Oct. 5, 2015, Oct. 11, 2015, and Oct. 18, 2015; and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence from Aug. 22, 2015 through Oct. 18, 2015. According to the indictment, Harris committed the crimes in Bernalillo County, N.M.
On Sept. 12, 2016, Harris pled guilty to Counts 8 and 9 of the indictment, each charging him with violating the Hobbs Act by robbing a business engaged in interstate commerce. He also pled guilty to Count 10, charging him with brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. In entering the guilty plea, Harris admitted that on Oct. 11, 2015 and Oct. 18, 2015, he robbed Blake’s Lotaburger restaurants at gunpoint. Harris further admitted that when he robbed the Blake’s Lotaburger restaurants and several other restaurants in the Albuquerque-area, he used a firearm.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel A. Hurtado prosecuted this case under a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders primarily based on their prior criminal convictions for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.
Albuquerque Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Heroin Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Joshua Greene, 19, of Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court to heroin trafficking charges. Greene’s plea agreement includes a recommendation that Greene be sentenced within the range of 60 to 87 months in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court. The plea agreement also requires Greene to forfeit $28,135 in cash, a handgun and a gold necklace set with 1,728 natural diamonds valued at $11,555, and to pay a money judgment in the amount of $28,250.
Greene and co-defendant Kayleb Reyos, 22, were arrested in May 2016, as the result of a DEA investigation into heroin and methamphetamine trafficking in northwest Albuquerque. The complaint alleges that Greene and Reyos sold an aggregate of 36 ounces (2.25 pounds) of heroin and 3 ounces (.18 pounds) of methamphetamine to undercover law enforcement agents during a series of transactions occurring between Feb. 2016 and May 2016. The two men were arrested when the DEA executed a federal search warrant at their residence in northwest Albuquerque. During the search, the DEA seized an additional pound of heroin, bulk amounts of cash, a handgun, and drug paraphernalia.
Greene and Reyos were subsequently charged in a ten-count indictment filed on June 14, 2016. The indictment charged Greene and Reyos with conspiracy to distribute heroin from Feb. 2016 to May 2016. It also charged the two defendants with distributing heroin on Feb. 25, 2016, April 12, 2016, and May 4, 2016, and distributing methamphetamine on March 23, 2016. Greene separately was charged with distributing heroin on Feb. 4, 2016, March 9, 2016, and March 22, 2016, and possessing heroin with intent to distribute on May 17, 2016. Reyos separately was also charged with possessing heroin with intent to distribute on May 17, 2016.
During today’s proceedings, Greene pled guilty to a felony information charging him with conspiracy and distribution of heroin. In entering the guilty plea, Green admitted that from Feb. 4, 2016 through May 17, 2016 he directed a small-scale drug trafficking organization in the northwest Albuquerque. Greene further admitted that on March 22, 2016, he sold approximately 135.1 grams of heroin to an undercover law enforcement agent. Greene remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
Reyos has entered a plea of not guilty to the charges against him in the indictment. Charges in criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristopher Houghton and Alexander Uballez are prosecuting the case as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, Bernalillo County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins, Albuquerque City Councilor Diane Gibson, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.
The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.
Las Cruces Residents Plead Guilty to Federal Counterfeiting ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Andrew Barnett, 36, and Summer Provencio, 36, both of Las Cruces, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court to conspiring to create and pass counterfeit U.S. currency.
Barnett and Provencio, together with co-defendants Victoria Perez, 41, and Patrick Fernandez, 33, both of Las Cruces, were charged in a 183-count indictment filed on Feb. 15, 2017. Count 1 of the indictment charged the four defendants with conspiring to create fraudulent U.S. currency from April 2016 through Sept. 2016. Counts 2 to 57 charged Barnett alone with manufacturing counterfeit currency in various denominations from April 2016 through Sept. 2016. Counts 58 to 116 charged Barnett and Perez with manufacturing counterfeit currency in $20 denominations on May 8, 2016. Counts 117 to 124 charged Barnett and Provencio with using counterfeit currency to make purchases on April 18, 2016; and Counts 125 to 183 charged Barnett, Perez and Fernandez with using counterfeit currency to make purchases on May 8, 2016. According to the indictment, the defendants committed these offenses in Dona Ana County, N.M.
During today’s proceedings, Barnett pled guilty to Count 1 of the indictment charging him with conspiracy. In entering the guilty plea, Barnett admitted that from April 2016 through Sept. 2016, he conspired with his co-defendants to manufacture and use counterfeit U.S. currency. According to his plea agreement, on April 18, 2016, Barnett created eight counterfeit five-dollar bills by scanning a real five-dollar bill and printing copies on a home printer. Barnett gave the counterfeit bills to Provencio, who used the bills to pay for hair and nail products at a Las Cruces beauty supply store. On May 8, 2016, Barnett created about 125 counterfeit $20 bills by printing copies on a home printer; this counterfeit currency was used to make purchases at a Las Cruces auto salvage business.
Provencio also pled guilty today to the conspiracy count of the indictment, and admitted that on April 18, 2016, she used eight counterfeit five-dollar bills created by Barnett on a home printer to make a purchase at a Las Cruces beauty supply store.
At sentencing, Barnett and Provencio each face a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. Sentencing hearings have yet to be scheduled.
Perez and Fernandez have entered not guilty pleas to the charges in the indictment. Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of Homeland Security Investigations and the Las Cruces Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Balla of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
Albuquerque Man Sentenced to Prison for Failing to Update his Sex Offender RegistrationRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Douglas Humilestewa, 53 of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 30 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for violating the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Humilestewa will be required to register as a sex offender when he completes his prison sentence.
SORNA, also known as the Adam Walsh Protection and Safety Act, requires that a convicted sex offender register in each jurisdiction where the offender resides, where the offender is employed, or where the offender is a student, and that the sex offender maintain current registrations.
Humilestewa was charged by indictment on Feb. 9, 2016, with violating SORNA by failing to update his sex offender registration on Nov. 15, 2015 or thereafter. According to the indictment, Humilestewa was required to maintain an updated sex offender registration while residing in Bernalillo County, N.M.
On Dec. 1, 2016, Humilestewa pled guilty to the indictment without the benefit of a plea agreement.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Walsh.
El Paso Man Sentenced for Federal Heroin Trafficking Conviction in New MexicoRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Johnathon Jacob Rios, 48, of El Paso, Texas, was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 33 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his heroin trafficking conviction.
Rios was arrested in June 2016, and was charged in a criminal complaint with a heroin trafficking offense after the DEA seized approximately 788.10 grams of heroin from him during an interdiction investigation at the Greyhound Bus Station in Albuquerque. The heroin was contained in a bundle that was concealed under Rios’ clothes.
Rios was subsequently indicted on July 12, 2016, and charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute on June 17, 2016, in Bernalillo County, N.M.
On Dec. 1, 2016, Rios pled guilty to a felony information charging him with possession of heroin with intent to distribute. In entering the guilty plea, Rios admitted transporting 788.1 grams of heroin from Phoenix, Ariz., to Albuquerque on a Greyhound bus by concealing the heroin under his clothes.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA. Assistant U.S. Attorney Presiliano Torrez prosecuted this case as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.
The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.
Albuquerque Woman Sentenced for Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Bernadette Aurora Tapia, 49, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 21 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for her methamphetamine trafficking conviction.
Bernadette Aurora Tapia (Tapia) and her co-defendants Gaspar Leal, 47, Brandon Candelaria, 22 and Candace Tapia, 22, were arrested during an ATF-led investigation that resulted in the filing of 59 federal indictments and a federal criminal complaint charging 104 Bernalillo County residents with federal firearms and narcotics trafficking offenses. The investigation began in mid-April 2016, when ATF personnel from throughout the country joined forces with federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies in New Mexico to combat the high rate of violent crime in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. The investigators utilized a number of investigative techniques, including undercover operations, historical investigation and targeting of multi-convicted felons in possession of firearms.
The investigation was undertaken in support of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies collaborate with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution primarily based on their prior criminal convictions with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.
Tapia and her co-defendants were charged by indictment on July 12, 2016, with conspiracy and distribution of methamphetamine on June 8, 2016, in Bernalillo County. On Dec. 13, 2016, Tapia pled guilty to conspiracy and admitted that on June 8, 2016, she agreed with others to distribute methamphetamine to another person.
To date, 40 of the 104 defendants have entered guilty pleas and 13 have been sentenced. The remaining defendants including Leal, Candelaria and Candace Tapia, have entered not guilty pleas. Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of ATF. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel A. Hurtado prosecuted the case.
Albuquerque Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Bank Robbery ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Abel Lopez, 31, of Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty this morning in federal court to bank robbery charges. His plea agreement includes a recommendation that Lopez be sentenced within the range of 27 to 33 months in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Lopez and co-defendants William Colbert, 38, and Joleen Sedillo, 42, both of Albuquerque, were arrested in July 2016, on a criminal complaint charging them with bank robbery offenses. According to the criminal complaint, Sedillo, Lopez and Colbert robbed Bank of the West branches located at 5401 Central Ave. NE and 7900 Wyoming Blvd. NE on June 22, 2016 and June 27, 2016, respectively, and attempted to rob the Bank of the West branch located at 5228 Central Ave. SW on July 14, 2016.
Sedillo, Lopez and Colbert were indicted on Aug. 10, 2016, and charged with conspiracy to commit bank robbery in June and July 2016; bank robbery on June 22, 2016 and June 27, 2016; and attempted bank robbery on July 14, 2016. According to the indictment, the three defendants committed the crimes in Bernalillo County, N.M.
During this morning’s proceedings, Lopez pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bank robbery and to aiding and abetting an attempted bank robbery. In entering the guilty plea, Lopez admitted accompanying his co-defendants to the Bank of the West branches they planned to rob. Lopez further admitted that on July 14, 2016, he entered a Bank of the West branch to check for security, then communicated an “all clear” to a co-defendant so that the co-defendant could rob the bank.
On April 5, 2017, Colbert pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bank robbery and to aiding and abetting an attempted bank robbery. In entering the guilty plea, Colbert admitted accompanying Sedillo and Lopez to the Bank of the West branches they planned to rob. Colbert further admitted that on July 14, 2016, he entered a Bank of the West branch while disguised with the intent to commit a robbery but left without obtaining any money. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Colbert will be sentenced within the range of 41 to 51 months in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
On March 28, 2017, Sedillo pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bank robbery and to aiding and abetting an attempted bank robbery. In entering the guilty plea, Sedillo admitted driving Lopez and Colbert to the Bank of the West branches they planned to rob. Sedillo further admitted that on July 14, 2016, she drove her co-defendants away from a branch of Bank of the West branch that Colbert attempted to rob. She also admitted concealing the clothing Colbert wore during the attempted robbery. Under the terms of her plea agreement, Sedillo will be sentenced within the range of 27 to 33 months in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Murphy is prosecuting the case.
Albuquerque Businessman Sentenced to Prison for Federal Tax Evasion ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney and Ismael Nevarez Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Office of IRS Criminal Investigation announced the sentencing of the former president and owner of Sneakerz, Inc., a corporation that operated “Sneakerz Sports Bar” in Albuquerque, N.M., on a federal tax evasion charge. James E. Coleman, Jr., 59, was sentenced this afternoon in federal court to 18 month of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release. Coleman was also ordered to pay $1,045,939 in restitution to the IRS.
Coleman was charged in Nov. 2014, in a four-count indictment with tax evasion and subscribing false tax returns charges. Counts 1 and 2 charged Coleman with evading a total of $166,320 in federal corporate taxes in calendar years 2008 and 2009 by filing false tax returns that underrepresented his corporation’s taxable income. Count 1 charged Coleman with evading $90,661 in federal taxes by falsely claiming that his corporation had $621,064 in taxable income in calendar year 2008 despite knowing that the corporation had $886,128 in taxable income for that year. Count 2 charged him with evading $75,659 in federal taxes by falsely claiming that his corporation had $731,581 in taxable income in calendar year 2009 despite knowing that the corporation had $932,235 in taxable income for that year. Counts 3 and 4 charged Coleman with filing individual tax returns for calendar years 2008 and 2009 that falsely reported that Coleman received no dividend income and no business income during those two calendar years.
On June 23, 2016, Coleman pled guilty to Count 1 of the indictment and admitted evading a total of $1,045,939 in federal corporate and personal taxes between calendar years 2002 and 2009. In his plea agreement, Coleman acknowledged underrepresenting Sneakerz’s gross receipts to the IRS with the intention of evading his corporate tax liability. He also admitted falsely underrepresenting the income he derived from Sneakerz on his personal tax returns.
The Albuquerque office of IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Peña.
California Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Meth Trafficking Charge in New MexicoRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Fermin Artiaga, 36, of Perris, Calif., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to a methamphetamine trafficking charge. The plea agreement includes a recommendation that Artiaga be sentenced to 114 months of imprisonment followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Artiaga was arrested in Aug. 2015, and was charged by a criminal complaint with a methamphetamine trafficking offense after the DEA seized approximately 1.95 kilograms (4.29 pounds) of methamphetamine during an interdiction investigation at the Amtrak Train Station in Albuquerque. The methamphetamine was concealed in four bundles inside Artiaga’s suitcase. Artiaga was indicted on Sept. 10, 2015, and was charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
During today’s proceedings, Artiaga pled guilty to a felony information charging him with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. In entering the guilty plea, Artiaga admitted that on Aug. 22, 2015, he transported four bundles of methamphetamine weighing an aggregate of 1758 grams in a suitcase into New Mexico on an Amtrak train. Artiaga remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Presiliano Torrez.
Davon Lymon Sentenced to Twenty Years for Conviction on Federal Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – This morning, Chief U.S. District Judge M. Christina Armijo sentenced Davon Lymon, 36, of Albuquerque, N.M., for his conviction in one of his two federal cases. Lymon was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release for his conviction on two felon in possession of firearms charges. Lymon will be sentenced on his conviction on two heroin trafficking charges and another felon in possession charge in his second federal case on April 24, 2017.
Lymon’s sentence was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney, Special Agent in Charge Thomas G. Atteberry of the Phoenix Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy of the El Paso Division of the DEA, and Chief Gorden E. Eden Jr., of the Albuquerque Police Department (APD).
Lymon stands convicted in two federal cases. The first indictment in the first case, filed on Nov. 27, 2015, charged Lymon with four counts of being a felon in possession of firearms and one count of possessing a stolen firearm (the firearms case). The indictment in the second case, filed on Dec. 2, 2015, charged Lymon with two heroin trafficking charges and a felon in possession of a firearm charge (the heroin trafficking case). At the time Lymon committed the crimes, he was prohibited from possessing firearms because of his prior felony convictions for voluntary manslaughter, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon resulting in great bodily harm, fraud, and forgery.
Lymon was convicted on two of the four charges in the firearms case. Chief U.S. District Judge Armijo found Lymon guilty on Count 4 of the four-count indictment on Oct. 28, 2016, following a bench trial on that charge alone. Count 4 charged Lymon with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition on Oct. 21, 2015, the day on which he allegedly shot Officer Daniel Webster of the APD. Officer Webster died on Oct. 29, 2015, due to injuries he allegedly sustained during the shooting, and Lymon has been charged with murdering Officer Webster in a separate state case. Lymon has yet to answer to the charges in the state case and is presumed innocent unless found guilty.
On Dec. 13, 2016, Lymon pled guilty to Count 2 of the indictment in the firearms case under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and admitted unlawfully possessing a firearm on May 27, 2016. As part of the plea agreement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office agreed to dismiss Count 1, charging Lymon with being a felon in possession of a firearm on May 27, 2015, and Count 3, of the indictment, charging Lymon with possessing a stolen firearm in May 2015.
The indictment in the second federal case charged Lymon with distributing heroin on Sept. 11, 2015 and Oct. 2, 2015, and unlawfully possessing a firearm on Oct. 2, 2015. Lymon pled guilty to the three charges in the heroin trafficking case on May 9, 2016, without the benefit of a plea agreement. Lymon will be sentenced on his conviction in the heroin trafficking case on April 24, 2017. He faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the two heroin trafficking charges and a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in prison on the firearms charge.
The Albuquerque office of ATF and APD investigated the firearms case, with assistance from the Albuquerque office of the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the New Mexico State Police, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, the Rio Rancho Police Department and the New Mexico Transportation Police Division. The heroin trafficking case was investigated by the Albuquerque offices of ATF and DEA.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob A. Wishard and Kimberly A. Brawley are prosecuting the two federal cases against Lymon as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders primarily based on their prior criminal convictions for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.
Albuquerque Woman Sentenced for Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Jessica Hofer, 26, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 48 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for her methamphetamine trafficking conviction. Hofer’s co-defendant, Cody Castillo, 31, previously was sentenced to 84 months of imprisonment on Jan. 20, 2017, based on his guilty plea to methamphetamine trafficking charges.
Hofer and Castillo were arrested during an ATF-led investigation that resulted in the filing of 59 federal indictments and one federal criminal complaint charging 104 Bernalillo County residents with federal firearms and narcotics trafficking offenses. The investigation began in mid-April 2016, when ATF personnel from throughout the country joined forces with federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies in New Mexico to combat the high rate of violent crime in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. The investigators utilized a number of investigative techniques, including undercover operations, historical investigation and targeting of multi-convicted felons in possession of firearms.
The investigation was undertaken in support of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies collaborate with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution primarily based on their prior criminal convictions with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.
Hofer and Castillo were arrested in July 2016, on an indictment charging them with conspiracy and distribution of methamphetamine on June 2, 2016, in Bernalillo County, N.M. Hofer pled guilty on Dec. 2, 2016, to a felony information charging her with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and admitted that on June 2, 2016, she sold more than 50 grams of methamphetamine with a 99% purity level to an undercover agent.
To date, 32 of the 104 defendants have entered guilty pleas and five have been sentenced. The remaining defendants, have entered not guilty pleas. Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of ATF. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eva M. Fontanez prosecuted the case.
Albuquerque Man Sentenced to Five Years for Federal Heroin Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Christopher Craig, 26, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 60 months in prison for his conviction on a heroin trafficking charge. Craig will be on supervised release for four years after completing his prison sentence.
Craig was arrested in Feb. 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with possessing heroin with intent to distribute on Feb. 17, 2016, in Sandoval County, N.M. According to the complaint, Craig attempted to sell approximately 205.8 grams of heroin to law enforcement officers. At the time of his arrest, Craig was on supervised release for a 2010 conviction for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Craig was subsequently indicted on March 8, 2016, on a heroin trafficking charge.
On Sept. 8, 2016, Craig pled guilty to the indictment and admitted that on Feb. 17, 2016, he arranged to sell a half pound of heroin in exchange for $5,000. Craig further admitted that when he was arrested, he was in possession of 205.8 grams of heroin, which he intended to sell.
This case was investigated the Albuquerque office of the FBI, the New Mexico State Police and the Rio Rancho Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Presiliano Torrez prosecuted the case pursuant to the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.
The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.