District of New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE – Jeremy L. Lara, 36, of Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court to federal fraud and theft charges under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Lara was arrested in May 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with theft of mail on May 19, 2016, in Sandoval County, N.M., after law enforcement officers allegedly found Lara in the process of stealing mail from a community mail box.  According to the complaint, officers recovered a counterfeited USPS arrow key as well as stolen mail from inside Lara’s vehicle.

Lara was subsequently charged in a ten-count indictment on June 14, 2016.  Lara was charged with the following: three counts of bank fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft on Nov. 11, 2015, Nov. 13, 2015, and Nov. 15, 2015; two counts of possession of a counterfeit postal key on Dec. 19, 2015 and May 19, 2016; and three counts of theft or receipt of stolen mail on Dec. 21, 2015 and May 19, 2016.  The indictment alleges that the crimes took place in Bernalillo and Sandoval Counties, N.M.  The indictment includes forfeiture provisions requiring Lara to forfeit $4,870.28 to the United States.

During today’s proceedings, Lara pled guilty to all counts of the indictment.  In entering the guilty plea, Lara admitted that he stole mail by using a counterfeit USPS arrow key that he created.  Lara further admitted that he specifically sought out driver’s licenses, bank cards and other personal identifying information to access the bank accounts of legitimate card holders, and impersonated the account holders by using their bank cards and PIN numbers to withdraw cash from ATMs.

At sentencing, Lara faces a statutory maximum penalty of 30 years in prison as well as a mandatory penalty of two years in prison for the aggravated identity theft charge which must be served consecutive to any sentence imposed on the bank fraud charges.  A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Rio Rancho Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Jon Ganjei is prosecuting the case.

ALBUQUERQUE – Luis Abelardo Ibarra, 36, of Fort Worth, Texas, pled guilty today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to a cocaine trafficking charge arising out of the seizure of more than ten pounds of cocaine during a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint inspection.  Under the terms of his plea agreement, Ibarra will be sentenced to six years in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.  Ibarra also will be required to forfeit $12,878 seized from him and his co-defendant during the checkpoint inspection. 

Ibarra and his co-defendant Claudio M. Martinez, Jr., 47, also of Hobbs, were arrested in May 2013, on a criminal complaint alleging that they possessed approximately 4.76 kilograms (10.49 pounds) of cocaine in Luna County, N.M.  According to the complaint, Ibarra and Martinez were arrested after U.S. Border Patrol agents at the U.S. Border Patrol station on State Highway in Luna County seized cocaine, cash and drug paraphernalia from the vehicle in which Ibarra and Martinez were traveling.

Ibarra and Martinez were subsequently indicted on Aug. 14, 2013, and charged with conspiracy and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute on May 23, 2013, in Luna County.

During today’s proceedings, Ibarra pled guilty to a felony information charging him with conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute, and admitted that on May 24, 2013, he and Martinez concealed five bricks of cocaine weighing 4.76 kilograms in a cooler and transported it into New Mexico.  Ibarra remains in custody pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

Martinez pled guilty to the indictment in June 2014, and was sentenced in Sept. 2014, to six years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the DEA and the U.S. Border Patrol.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa A. Ong of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

ALBUQUERQUE – Ana Solis, 23, of Roswell, N.M., pled guilty yesterday in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to methamphetamine trafficking charges. 

Solis is one of 41 individuals charged in Sept. 2015, with drug trafficking offenses as a result of an eight-month multi-agency investigation by the FBI, the DEA, Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force, Roswell Police Department, Chaves County Sheriff’s Office and New Mexico State Police.  Twenty-one of the defendants were charged with federal offenses and the remaining 20 were charged with state offenses.

The investigation, which was designated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program, initially targeted a drug trafficking organization (DTO) allegedly led by Joseph Ray Mendiola, 35, of Roswell, that allegedly distributed methamphetamine in Chaves County.  It later expanded to include drug traffickers who allegedly supplied methamphetamine to the Mendiola DTO and other drug traffickers operating in Chaves County.  The OCDETF program 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.

Solis, Mendiola and 14 other federal defendants were charged in a 24-count indictment filed on Sept. 22, 2015.  Count 1 of the Indictment charged 15 of the 16 defendants with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine between June 2015 and July 2015.  Count 2 charged three defendants with conspiracy to distribute cocaine in July 2015.  Counts 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 charged certain defendants with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute in July 2015.  Counts 8 through 24 charged certain defendants with using communications devices (telephones) to facilitate drug trafficking crimes.  All crimes charged in the federal indictment occurred in Chaves County.

During the course of the investigation, law enforcement officers executed 14 federal search warrants for 10 residences in Roswell, one residence in Dexter, N.M., and three vehicles.  During the execution of those search warrants, the officers seized approximately 5600 grams of methamphetamine, $35,960.00 in cash, and multiple firearms including two assault rifles. 

During yesterday’s proceedings, Solis pled guilty to conspiracy, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and using a communication device to facilitate drug trafficking crimes.  In entering the guilty plea, Solis admitted conspiring with her co-defendants to distribute methamphetamine in Chaves County and using a telephone to further commission that crime from June 2015 through July 31, 2015.  Solis also admitted that on July 25, 2015, and July 31, 2015, she and a co-defendant arranged to purchase two pounds of methamphetamine with the intention of distributing it to others.  

At sentencing, Solis faces a statutory minimum penalty of ten years and a maximum of life in prison.  A sentencing hearing  has yet to be scheduled.

To date, seven of Solis’ co-defendants have entered guilty pleas.  The remaining defendants have entered not guilty pleas to the indictment.  Charges in indictments and criminal complaints are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The federal cases were investigated by the Roswell office of FBI’s Albuquerque Division, the Las Cruces office of DEA, Roswell Police Department, Chaves County Sheriff’s Office, the Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force, the New Mexico State Police and the U.S. Marshals Service.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randy M. Castellano and John Balla are prosecuting the federal cases.

The HIDTA Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force is comprised of investigators from the Roswell Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI and the Chaves County Sherriff’s Office.  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 – A federal jury sitting in Albuquerque, N.M., returned a verdict this afternoon finding Joshua Metts, 35, of Albuquerque, guilty of unlawfully possessing a firearm after a two-day trial.  The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, 2nd Judicial District Attorney Kari E. Brandenburg, Special Agent in Charge Thomas G. Atteberry of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Gorden E. Eden, Jr., of the Albuquerque Police Department (APD).

Metts originally was federally charged with violating the Hobbs Act and federal firearms laws in an indictment filed in April 2015.  In June 2016, a superseding indictment was filed that charged Metts with violating the Hobbs Act on Sept. 12, 2014, and being a felon in possession of a firearm on Oct. 2, 2014.  According to the indictment, Metts was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of his prior felony convictions for aggravated fleeing of a law enforcement officer and trafficking a controlled substance.

Metts was arrested on the federal charges in June 2015, after he was transferred to federal custody from state custody where he was detained on related state charges.  The state charges were dismissed in favor of federal prosecution.  In July 2016, the court granted Metts’ motion to try the Hobbs Act charge separate from the felon in possession charge.   

Metts’ trial on the felon in possession charge began yesterday and concluded this afternoon when the jury returned a guilty verdict.  The evidence at trial established that APD officers arrested Metts on an outstanding state warrant on Oct. 2, 2014.  After arresting Metts, the officers found a firearm in Metts’ vehicle; the firearm was wedged between the driver’s door and the driver’s seat.  Because of his status as a convicted felon, Metts was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

At sentencing for his conviction on the felon in possession charge, Metts faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison. 

Metts has entered a not guilty plea to the Hobbs Act charge and a trial date on that charge has yet to be set.  Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.

The case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of ATF and APD with assistance from the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel A. Hurtado and Paul Mysliwiec are prosecuting the case.

ALBUQUERQUE – Justin E. Thompson, 35, of Carlsbad, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for violating the federal firearms laws.

Thompson was arrested on Sept. 18, 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm on Dec. 3, 2014, in Eddy County, N.M.  According to the criminal complaint, law enforcement authorities executed a search warrant on Thompson’s residence as a special condition of his supervised probation on a prior felony conviction.  During the search, the officers found two gun safes, which contained 34 firearms and many rounds of ammunition.  At the time, Thompson was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of distribution of a controlled substance and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

On Nov. 20, 2015, Thompson pled guilty to a felony information charging him with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.  In entering the guilty plea, Thompson admitted that on Dec. 3, 2014, the U.S. Probation Office executed a search of his residence and found 34 firearms and numerous rounds of ammunition in his garage.  Thompson further acknowledged that he was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of his status as a convicted felon.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Ammunition, the U.S. Probation Office and the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Renee L. Camacho of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office prosecuted the case.

ALBUQUERQUE – Matthew Romero, 40, of Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty yesterday in federal court to robbing a retail pharmacy to obtain prescription controlled substances.  The guilty plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Will R. Glaspy, Special Agent in Charge of DEA’s El Paso Division, and Chief Gorden E. Eden of the Albuquerque Police Department.

Romero was arrested on Dec. 30, 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with violating the Hobbs Act by robbing a business engaged in interstate commerce and robbery involving controlled substances.  The charges against Romero arose out of the armed robberies of the Walgreens Pharmacy located at 3501 Lomas Blvd. and the Walgreens Pharmacy located at 5201 Central Ave. in Albuquerque. 

Romero was subsequently charged in a four-count indictment on Jan. 14, 2016, with two counts of violating the Hobbs Act and two counts of theft of medical products.  The indictment alleges that Romero committed the crimes on Dec. 6, 2015 and Dec. 7, 2015, in Bernalillo County, N.M.

During yesterday’s proceedings, Romero pled guilty to the indictment.  In his plea agreement, Romero admitted entering the Walgreens Pharmacy located at 3501 Lomas Blvd. NE, on Dec. 6, 2015, where gave a pharmacy employee a note demanding Xanax and Diazepam, and let the employee know that he was armed.  Romero also admitted that on Dec. 7, 2015, he entered the Walgreens Pharmacy located at 5201 Central Ave., where he gave a pharmacy employee a note demanding Xanax, Diazepam, and Oxycodone, and let the employee know that he was armed.  The plea agreement states that Dec. 8, 2015, Romero again entered the Walgreens Pharmacy located at 3501 Lomas Blvd. NE, with a note demanding Xanax and Valium, and stating that Romero was armed, but Romero was arrested while he was waiting for the pharmacy to open.

According to the plea agreement, on Dec. 6, 2015, Romero stole 107 doses of 2 milligram Alprazolam and 346 doses of 10 milligram Diazepam, and on Dec. 7, 2015, Romero stole 873 doses of 2 milligram Alprazolam, 471 doses of 10 milligram Diazepam and nine doses of 5 milligram Oxycodone.  At the time of his arrest on Dec. 8, 2015, officers recovered several bottles of Alprazolam from his backpack, and did not locate any firearms, ammunition or other weapons.

This case was investigated by the Tactical Diversion Squad of the DEA in Albuquerque and the Albuquerque Police Department.  DEA’s Tactical Diversion Squads combine DEA resources with those of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in an innovative effort to investigate, disrupt and dismantle those suspected of violating the Controlled Substances Act or other appropriate federal, state or local statutes pertaining to the diversion of licit pharmaceutical controlled substances or listed chemicals.

The Controlled Substance Registrant Protection Act was enacted in 1984, to combat the theft of prescription drugs from individuals and businesses registered with the DEA.  It created penalties for entering a pharmacy’s premises for the purpose of stealing controlled substances, and includes enhanced punishment for using a dangerous weapon.  The Safe Doses Act was enacted in Oct. 2012, to fight medical theft and protect patients from unknowingly using stolen and mishandled drugs.  It provides for enhanced sentences for those who rob pharmacies of controlled substances; individuals who steal medical products; and “fences” who knowingly obtain stolen medical products for resale in the supply chain.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joel R. Meyers and Shaheen P. Torgoley 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, 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.

Defendant was One of the 104 Individuals Federally Charged as a Result of ATF-Led Investigation Pursued in Support of Federal “Worst of the Worst” Anti-Violence Initiative

ALBUQUERQUE – Dominic Baca, 27, of Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court to a heroin trafficking charge. 

Baca was 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.

Baca was arrested on an indictment charging him with distribution of heroin on July 19, 2016.  During today’s change of plea hearing, Baca pled guilty to the indictment and admitted selling heroin to an undercover agent on July 19, 2016.  At sentencing, Baca faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.  He remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.

To date, four of the 104 defendants charged as a result of the ATF investigation have entered guilty pleas.  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.

The case against Baca was investigated by the Albuquerque offices of ATF and DEA and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Presiliano Torrez 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 – A Taos County, N.M., man has been arrested on a federal indictment charging him with carjacking and firearms and carjacking offenses, announced U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge Terry Wade of the FBI’s Albuquerque Division, and New Mexico State Police Chief Pete N. Kassetas.

Richard Howieson, 56, of Costilla, N.M., was arrested without incident yesterday evening in Taos, N.M., 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.  According to the indictment, Howieson committed the three crimes on Feb. 19, 2013, in Taos County, N.M.  At the time, Howieson was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of his felony conviction for leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and great bodily injury.

Howieson will make his initial appearance in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., on Oct. 11, 2016.  He remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

If convicted on the carjacking charge, Howieson faces a statutory maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.  If convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm, he faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in prison.  Howieson also faces a statutory mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, which must be served consecutive to any sentence imposed on the other two charges.  Charges in indictments are merely accusations, and criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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.   

ALBUQUERQUE – Oscar Garcia, 46, a Mexican national illegally in the United States, pled guilty Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M. to methamphetamine trafficking and money laundering charges.  At the time he committed the crimes to which he pleaded guilty, Oscar Garcia was in Oklahoma state custody serving a prison sentence on an unrelated-drug trafficking conviction.  Under the terms of his plea agreement, Oscar Garcia will be sentenced to 180 months in prison.  He will be deported after completing his prison sentence.

Oscar Garcia was charged together with co-defendants Leslie Frank Williams, 52, Andy Garcia, 43, and Domingo Rodriguez, 46, all of Deming, and Estella Aguilar, 44, of Tucson, Ariz., in a nine-count indictment filed in April 2016.  The indictment alleged that the five co-defendants conspired to distribute methamphetamine from July 2015 through April 2016.  It also charged Williams with distributing methamphetamine on four occasions between Jan 2015 and Sept. 2015; Williams and Rodriguez with distributing methamphetamine in Nov. 2015; and Rodriguez, Oscar Garcia and Andy Garcia with possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute in Jan. 2016.  The indictment also charged Rodriguez, Oscar Garcia and Aguilar with conspiring to commit money laundering offenses in Feb. 10, 2016; and Aguilar with committing a money laundering offense on Feb. 10, 2016.  According to the indictment, the crimes took place in Luna County, N.M.  The indictment included forfeiture allegations seeking forfeiture of $1,000,000 in drug proceeds to the United States.

On Oct. 7, 2016, Oscar Garcia pled guilty to a felony information charging him with conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute and money laundering.  In entering the guilty plea, Oscar Garcia admitted that from June 2015 through May 2016, he used a cell phone from his prison cell in Okla., to facilitate the distribution of approximately 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine.  Oscar Garcia further admitted that from Feb. 8, 2016 to Feb. 10, 2016, he arranged for a person to travel from Ariz., to Deming to pick up drug proceeds and to deliver the money to a co-conspirator.  Oscar Garcia remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.

To date, three other defendants have entered guilty pleas.  Andy Garcia pled guilty on Oct. 5, 2016.  Under the terms of his plea agreement, Andy Garcia will be sentenced to ten years in prison.  Rodriguez entered a guilty plea on Sept. 13, 2016, and Williams entered a guilty plea on Sept. 20, 2016.  Sentencing hearings for these three defendants have yet to be scheduled. 

Aguilar has entered a plea of not guilty to the indictment.  Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was investigated by the Deming office of Homeland Security Investigations and the Luna County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark A. Saltman and Dustin C. Segovia of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office are prosecuting the case.

ALBUQUERQUE – Greg Miera, 50, of Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty this morning in federal court to an armed bank robbery charge under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. 

Miera was arrested in March 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him and four co-defendants, Martin Huerta, 43, Christian Herrera, 20, Isaiah Gallegos, 20, and Christopher Gallegos, 31, all of Albuquerque, with bank robbery.  According to the complaint, a source identified the co-defendants as the individuals involved in robbing the US Bank branch located at 5620 Wyoming Blvd. NE in Albuquerque, on March 30, 2016.  The complaint alleged that 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.  The complaint further alleged that three of the men remained outside in the vehicle while the fourth entered the US Bank, threatened to shoot the bank employees, and demanded that two bank tellers place cash into a plastic bag. 

Miera, Huerta, Herrera, Isaiah Gallegos and Christopher Gallegos were subsequently indicted on an armed bank robbery charge on April 27, 2016.

During today’s proceedings, Miera entered a guilty plea to the indictment and admitted participating in the armed robbery of the U.S. Bank branch in Albuquerque on March 30, 2016. 

Co-defendant Huerta previously entered a guilty plea to the indictment on Sept. 9, 2016.  Huerta entered his guilty plea without the benefit of a plea agreement.

At sentencing, Miera and Huerta each face a statutory maximum penalty of 25 years in federal prison.  Both remain in custody pending sentencing hearings, which have yet to be scheduled.

The three remaining co-defendants have entered pleas of not guilty to the indictment.  Charges in complaints and indictments are merely accusations.  All criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Albuquerque Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Mysliwiec is prosecuting the case.

ALBUQUERQUE – A federal jury sitting in Las Cruces, N.M., returned a verdict yesterday finding Amado Acevedo-Gonzalez, 36, a Mexican national, and Yolanda Rodriguez, 50, a U.S. citizen who formerly resided in Mexico, guilty on drug trafficking offenses and money laundering charges after a four-day trial.  The jury’s guilty verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy of the DEA’s El Paso Division, Special Agent in Charge Terry Wade of the FBI’s Albuquerque Division, Ismael Nevarez Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Office of IRS Criminal Investigation, and Chief Patrol Agent Jeffrey D. Self of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector.

Acevedo-Gonzalez and Rodriguez were convicted on multiple charges contained in a 45-count indictment that was filed in Oct. 2015.  The indictment charged Acevedo-Gonzalez, Rodriguez and 18 others with participating in a major drug trafficking organization (DTO) that imported large amounts of cocaine, marijuana and heroin from Mexico into the United States.  The indictment alleged that members of the DTO distributed the cocaine, marijuana and heroin in Albuquerque and other places in the United States, and smuggled drug proceeds from the United States to Mexico.  According to the indictment, the conspiracy operated in Doña Ana, Luna and Bernalillo Counties from Oct. 2014 through Oct. 2015.

The indictment was the result of an investigation by the DEA, FBI, IRS and U.S. Border Patrol that was designated as part of the Justice Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, which combines the resources and unique expertise of federal agencies and their local counterparts in a coordinated effort to disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations.  During the investigation, federal agents seized and purchased 6.2 kilograms of cocaine, 2.9 kilograms of methamphetamine, 1039.9 kilograms of marijuana, and 351 grams of heroin.  They also seized $267,030.00 in drug proceeds and other assets valued at approximately $153,000.00.

Of the 20 defendants charged in the indictment, 12 have been arrested, including ten who entered guilty pleas, and the remaining eight are fugitives.  Acevedo-Gonzalez, who was charged with participating in the drug trafficking conspiracy, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and using a communication device to facilitate drug trafficking crimes, and Rodriguez, who was charged with participating in the drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracies and international money laundering, entered not guilty pleas, and elected to proceed to trial.

The trial of Acevedo-Gonzalez and Rodriguez began on Oct. 3, 2016.  The trial concluded yesterday when the jury returned verdicts finding Acevedo–Gonzalez and Rodriguez guilty on all of the charges against them.  The evidence at trial established that Acevedo-Gonzalez and Rodriguez were part of a Mexican DTO that imported cocaine and marijuana into the United States, and exported the drug proceeds back to Mexico.  More specifically, the evidence established that Acevedo-Gonzalez, distributed marijuana for the DTO, and that Rodriguez was a courier who transported drugs and drug proceeds from Albuquerque to Mexico for the DTO.

During the trial, the jury learned about the ten-month investigation into the DTO during which court-authorized wiretaps were used to gather evidence that permitted federal agents to learn about shipments of cocaine and marijuana that were transported in tractor-trailers from Mexico to an auto body shop in Albuquerque.  From the auto body shop, a member of the DTO coordinated with bosses in Mexico to distribute the drugs, and to collect drug proceeds and transport them back to Mexico.  Federal agents testified about this pattern – drugs going north in tractor-trailers and drug proceeds going south – occurred numerous times.  Based on their knowledge of this pattern, federal agents were able to seize more than $250,000 in drug proceeds from couriers and a tractor-trailer containing marijuana. 

The jury deliberated for a little over an hour before returning their guilty verdicts against Acevedo-Gonzalez and Rodriguez.  Both remain in federal custody pending sentencing hearings, which have yet to be scheduled.  At sentencing, Acevedo-Gonzalez faces a statutory maximum penalty of five years in prison, and Rodriguez faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

The following defendants have entered guilty pleas in this case and, except as noted, are awaiting sentencing:

• Rene Amaya-Rivas, 27, a Mexican national who was residing in Odessa, Texas, pled guilty on April 27, 2016, to conspiracy, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and money laundering charges.
• Pablo Alberto Arana-Delgado, 35, a Mexican national who was residing in El Paso, Texas, pled guilty on June 8, 2016, to conspiracy and possession of cocaine and marijuana with intent to distribute charges.

• Elier Gabriel Jaime-Castillo, 35, a Mexican national illegally present in the United States, pled guilty on Aug. 30, 2016, to conspiracy, money laundering, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and use of a communication device to facilitate a drug trafficking crime charges.
• Mauricio Ledezma, 23, of Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty on Dec. 8, 2015, to misprision of a felony, and was sentenced on April 6, 2016, to 24 months of probation.
• Cerbando Carbajal, 20, of Columbus, N.M., pled guilty on March 29, 2016, to conspiracy and money laundering charges.
• Emilia Quezada, 31, a U.S. citizen who was residing in Chihuahua, Mexico, pled guilty on April 1, 2016, to conspiracy and money laundering charges.
• George A. Taylor, 55, of Deming, N.M., pled guilty on April 20, 2016, to conspiracy, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and money laundering charges.
• Grisel H. Majalca, 32 of Columbus, N.M., pled guilty on Aug. 3, 2016, to conspiracy, use of a communication device to facilitate a drug trafficking crime and money laundering charges.
• Leonardo Martinez-Olivas, 49, a Mexican national, pled guilty on May 11, 2016, to conspiracy and money laundering charges.
• Neftali Garcia-Torres, 20, a Mexican national, pled guilty on Sept. 14, 2016, to misprision of a felony.

The following defendants, all Mexican nationals, have yet to be arrested and are considered fugitives:  Edgar Estopellan-Torres, Ignacio Villalobos-Salinas, 30, Angel Daniel Silva-Silva, 31, Rigoberto Estopellan-Torres, 35, Jesus Muñoz-Lechuga, 36, Emilio Delgado-Olivas, 43, Jesus Gilberto Varela-Sanchez, 28, and Carlos Adrian Ortega-Acevedes, 25.  Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated by the Las Cruces offices of the DEA, FBI, IRS and the U.S. Border Patrol.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Selesia L. Winston and Renee L. Camacho of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office are prosecuting the case.

ALBUQUERQUE – A federal jury sitting in Albuquerque, N.M., returned a verdict this morning finding Shane Roach, 27, guilty on a commercial sex trafficking charge, announced U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, 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).

Roach, an Albuquerque resident, 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 alleged that Roach committed the offense between May and June of 2015 in Bernalillo County, N.M.

Trial of Roach on the commercial sex trafficking charge began on Oct. 4, 2016 and concluded this morning when the jury returned a guilty verdict against Roach. 

The victim, who testified at trial, 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 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.

The jury deliberated about three hours before returning a guilty verdict.

The judge ordered Roach to surrender himself to the U.S. Marshals Service by 3:00 p.m. today.  Roach is to be detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.  At sentencing, Roach faces a statutory mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of life in prison.

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 are prosecuting the case.

ALBUQUERQUE – Donnail Lee Bailey, Jr., 29, of Las Cruces, N.M., pled guilty yesterday in federal court to violating the federal firearms laws without the benefit of a plea agreement.

Bailey was arrested on June 18, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition on April 1, 2016, in Dona Ana County, N.M.

During yesterday’s proceedings, Bailey pled guilty to a felony information charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.  Bailey was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition on April 1, 2016, because of his previous felony convictions for robbery and possession of a controlled substance.

At sentencing, Bailey faces a maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison.  A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Las Cruces Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo is prosecuting the case.

ALBUQUERQUE – Enrique Miramontes, 42, of Hobbs, N.M., pled guilty yesterday in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to a methamphetamine trafficking charge under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Miramontes was arrested on June 8, 2016, and was charged by criminal complaint with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  According to the complaint, on June 7, 2016, in Lea County, N.M., law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Miramontes’ residence in Hobbs, and seized approximately 462 grams of methamphetamine, two firearms and ammunition.

During yesterday’s proceedings, Miramontes pled guilty to a felony information charging him with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.  In entering the guilty plea, Miramontes admitted that on June 7, 2016, law enforcement officers, who were executing a search warrant at his residence, found methamphetamine in a shed at his residence.  Miramontes further admitted that he intended to sell the methamphetamine.

At sentencing, Miramontes faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.  He remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of Homeland Security Investigations and the Lea County Drug Task Force.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Terri J. Abernathy of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is 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.

ALBUQUERQUE – The former purchasing agent for the Jicarilla Apache Nation was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to three years of probation and ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution for embezzling funds from the Jicarilla Apache Nation.

Vanessa Cohoe, now known as Vanessa Vicenti, 46, formerly of Dulce, N.M., was charged in an indictment filed on Dec. 17, 2015, with theft of funds belonging to the Jicarilla Apache Nation, an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal funds.  The indictment alleged that Cohoe committed the crime by embezzling approximately $23,039.23 from the Tribe between Dec. 2010 and May 2011.  The indictment also charged Cohoe with embezzling more than $1000 in funds belonging to an Indian Tribal organization by using the Jicarilla Apache Nation’s credit card on eight separate occasions between Jan.  2011 and April 2011.

On May 17, 2016, Cohoe pled guilty to the theft charge, and admitted embezzling funds belonging to the Jicarilla Apache Nation.  The plea agreement states that Cohoe committed the crime while employed as the purchasing agent for the Jicarilla Apache Nation, a position she held from Feb. 2007 through June 2011.  In that capacity, Cohoe had access to and use of the Tribe’s Sam’s Club credit card for authorized purchases.  From Jan. 2010 through May 2011, Cohoe made unauthorized purchases using the Tribe’s credit card for gift cards, alcohol, groceries, clothes and cosmetics for herself and her family.  Cohoe concealed her embezzlement scheme by intercepting the credit card bills and modifying them before submitting them to the billing department for payment.  Cohoe was suspended from her position in May 2011 and was terminated after a full investigation in June 2011.

This case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristopher N. Houghton prosecuted the case.

ALBUQUERQUE – John Allen Pierceall, 55, of Denver, Colo., was sentenced this morning in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 77 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his conviction on bank robbery charges.  The sentence was imposed based on Pierceall’s guilty plea to robbing three banks, two in Colorado and one in New Mexico, between Aug. 2014 and Aug. 2015.

Pierceall was arrested on Aug. 24, 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with robbing the US Bank branch located at 901 East University Ave. in Las Cruces, on Aug. 24, 2015.  According to the complaint, Pierceall robbed the bank by presenting a bank teller with a demand note stating that he was armed and would shoot if she did not comply with his demand for cash.

On Dec. 2, 2015, Pierceall was indicted in the District of Colorado, and charged with two counts of bank robbery.  The indictment alleged that Pierceall robbed the Vectra Bank Colorado in Denver twice, once on Aug. 14, 2014 and again on Oct. 7, 2014.

On Dec. 8, 2015, Pierceall plead guilty to a felony information charging him with three counts of bank robbery.  In entering the guilty plea, Pierceall admitted robbing the Vectra Bank Colorado on Aug. 14, 2014, and Oct. 7, 2014, and robbing the US Bank branch in Las Cruces on Aug. 24, 2015.  Pierceall further admitted that he committed all three bank robberies by handing the teller a demand note which stated that he was armed and would shoot if his demands for cash were not met.

In his plea agreement, Pierceall waived his right to have the Colorado bank robberies prosecuted in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, and agreed to have a federal judge in the District of New Mexico accept his guilty plea on those crimes. 

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI, the Las Cruces Police Department and the Denver Police Department with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa A. Ong prosecuted the case.

ALBUQUERQUE – Johnny Ramirez, 33, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 71 months in prison for violating the Hobbs Act by robbing a business engaged in interstate commerce.  Ramirez will be on supervised release for three years following his prison sentence. 

Ramirez and five other Albuquerque residents were charged in Jan. 2015, with violating the Hobbs Act and federal firearms laws in a five-count indictment.  Count 1 charged Raymond Castillo, 27, Reyes Lujan, 27, Daniel Maestas, 36, Frank Gallegos, 31, and Henry Lujan, 23, with conspiring to violate the Hobbs Act.  Count 2 charged the six men with violating the Hobbs Act by robbing a Walmart Store in Bernalillo County, N.M., on Oct. 29, 2014.  Count 3 charged Castillo with brandishing a firearm during the robbery of the Walmart store, and Count 4 charges Maestas with using and carrying a firearm during the robbery.  Count 5 charged Ramirez, Gallegos, Reyes Lujan and Henry Lujan with aiding and abetting the use of firearms during the robbery. 

A seven-count superseding indictment was filed on May 28, 2015, charging the original six defendants and adding Reynaldo Marquez, 26, as a new defendant and two new counts.  The two new charges in the superseding indictment charged Marquez and Castillo with interfering with interstate commerce by robbing a 7-11 convenience store located in Bernalillo County, N.M., on Dec. 7, 2014, and Marquez with discharging a firearm during the robbery of the 7-11 convenience store on Dec. 7, 2015.

On June 16, 2016, Ramirez pled guilty to Count 2 of the superseding indictment charging him with aiding and abetting an interference with interstate commerce.  In entering the guilty plea, Ramirez admitted that on Oct. 29, 2014, he acted  as a lookout for the armed robbery of the Walmart located at 400 Eubank NE in Albuquerque.

Ramirez’ six co-defendants previously have entered guilty pleas.  Reyes Lujan was sentenced on March 8, 2016, to 71 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and Gallegos was sentenced on Sept. 8, 2016, to 71 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.  The four remaining co-defendants are in custody pending their sentencing hearings.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Albuquerque Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Norman Cairns and Samuel A. Hurtado are prosecuting this case.

This case is being prosecuted 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 for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible. In recognition that New Mexico’s violent crime rates, on a per capita basis, are amongst the highest in the nation, New Mexico’s law enforcement community has come together to is collaborating the initiative is significantly exceed the national average. 

 

ALBUQUERQUE – Brandy Lynn Matthewson, 38, of Roswell, N.M., pled guilty yesterday in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to a methamphetamine trafficking charge under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Matthewson and her co-defendant Gilbert Nick Montes, 36, also of Roswell were arrested on May 24, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging them with conspiracy and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute in March 2016, in Chaves County, N.M.  According to the complaint, in March 2016, Matthewson was distributing methamphetamine on behalf of Montes, following Montes’ arrest on other methamphetamine trafficking charges.

During yesterday’s proceedings, Matthewson pled guilty to a felony information charging her with conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and admitted that she participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Chaves County between Nov. 2015 and March 2016, in Chaves County.  At sentencing, Matthewson faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.  A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled. 

Montes was previously arrested in a separate case in Nov. 2015, and was indicted on March 8, 2016, on methamphetamine trafficking offenses.  On Sept. 16, 2016, he pled guilty to that indictment and admitted receiving four pounds of methamphetamine, which he intended to distribute to others.  At sentencing, which has yet to be scheduled, Montes faces a statutory minimum penalty of ten years and a maximum of life in federal prison.

While in custody on the aforementioned case, Montes was charged, together with Mathewson, with methamphetamine charges in this case.  Montes has entered a not guilty plea to the charges in this case and remains in custody pending trial.  Charges in criminal complaints are merely accusations, and criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was investigated by the Roswell office of the FBI and the Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy M. Castellano of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

The HIDTA Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force is comprised of investigators from the Roswell Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI and the Chaves County Sherriff’s Office.  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 – Michael Glover, 37, of Canton, Ohio, was sentenced today to 180 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for his conviction on federal child pornography charges in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M.  Glover will also be required to register as a sex offender after he completes his prison sentence.

Glover was arrested in April 2015, in Ohio on an indictment alleging child pornography charges that was filed in Albuquerque.  Thereafter, Glover was transported to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico in Albuquerque to face the charges against him. 

The six-count indictment charged Glover, a former Albuquerque resident, with three counts of distribution of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and three counts of possession of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  The three distribution counts alleged that Glover distributed child pornography in Bernalillo County, N.M., on May 27, 2013, Aug. 11, 2013, and Aug. 12, 2013.  The three possession counts alleged that Glover possessed child pornography in Bernalillo County during three periods in 2013.  The indictment included forfeiture provisions seeking forfeiture of Glover’s laptop computer and computer media.

On March 28, 2016, Glover entered guilty pleas to Counts 4 through 6 of the indictment charging him with distribution and possession of child pornography.  In entering his guilty plea, Glover admitted to possessing child pornography between May 23, 2013 and Aug. 19, 2013, on three devices (a computer, a Kindle and a flash drive).

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of Homeland Security Investigations, the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Shammara H. Henderson prosecuted the case.

The case was brought 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/.

The case also was brought as a part of the New Mexico 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 86 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.

Glover, who has a prior sexual assault conviction and a conviction for violating the Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act, was also being prosecuted 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.  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 offenders from counties with the highest violent crime rates, including Bernalillo County, N.M., under this initiative.

ALBUQUERQUE – Arnulfo Vasquez, 35, of Las Cruces, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court to a cocaine trafficking charge.

Vasquez was arrested in Jan. 2011, on a criminal complaint charging him with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute in Doña Ana County, N.M.  According to the complaint, on Jan. 20, 2011, law enforcement agents seized approximately 96.6 grams of cocaine and drug paraphernalia from Vasquez and his residence during the execution of a search warrant.  Vasquez was subsequently indicted on the same charge on April 20, 2011.

During today’s proceedings, Vasquez pled guilty to the indictment and admitted that on Jan. 20, 2011, law enforcement agents seized a total of 73.1 grams of cocaine from his residence and vehicle which he intended to distribute to others.

At sentencing, Vasquez faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.  A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of Homeland Security Investigations and the HIDTA Regional Interagency Drug Task Force/Metro Narcotics Task Force.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

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 – Ramiro Trevizo-Granillo, 34, of Deming, N.M., was sentenced on Oct. 3, 2016, in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 156 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for trafficking in methamphetamine and conspiring to tamper with a witness. 

Trevizo-Granillo was arrested on July 30, 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with participating in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy and conspiracy to tamper with a witness.  According to the complaint, Trevizo-Granillo provided an individual with 30 grams of methamphetamine on July 4, 2014, with the understanding that the purchaser would be selling the drugs to others.  While Trevizo-Granillo was detained on the methamphetamine distribution charge, he engaged in a recorded telephone conversation with another person during which he discussed a scheme to prevent a witness from testifying against him. 

Trevizo-Granillo was subsequently indicted on Oct. 15, 2015, and charged with participating in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy on July 4, 2014, in Luna County, N.M., and conspiracy to tamper with a witness on July 4, 2015.

On May 18, 2016, Trevizo-Granillo pled guilty to the indictment and admitted that on July 4, 2014, he sold 30 grams of methamphetamine to another person.  Trevizo-Granillo further admitted that on July 5, 2015, he had a conversation with a friend about making a cooperator involved in his case “disappear” so the cooperator would not testify against him. 

This case was investigated by the Deming office of Homeland Security Investigations and the Deming Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Saltman of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office prosecuted the case.

ALBUQUERQUE – Andy Garcia, Jr., 43, of Deming, N.M., pled guilty yesterday in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M. to a methamphetamine trafficking charge.  Under the terms of his plea agreement, Andy Garcia will be sentenced to ten years in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.

Andy Garcia was charged together with co-defendants Leslie Frank Williams, 52, and Domingo Rodriguez, 46, both of Deming, Oscar Garcia, 46, of Okla., and Estella Aguilar, 44, of Tucson, Ariz., in a nine-count indictment filed on April 21, 2016.  The indictment alleged that the five co-defendants conspired to distribute methamphetamine from July 2015 through April 2016.  It also charged Williams with distributing methamphetamine on four occasions between Jan 2015 and Sept. 2015; Williams and Rodriguez with distributing methamphetamine in Nov. 2015; and Rodriguez, Oscar Garcia and Andy Garcia with possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute in Jan. 2016.  The indictment charged Rodriguez, Oscar Garcia and Aguilar with conspiring to commit money laundering offenses in Feb. 10, 2016; and Aguilar with money laundering on Feb. 10, 2016.  According to the indictment, the crimes took place in Luna County, N.M.  The indictment included forfeiture allegations requiring the co-defendants to forfeit $1,000,000 to the United States.

During yesterday’s proceedings, Andy Garcia pled guilty to a felony information charging him with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.  In entering the guilty plea, Andy Garcia admitted that on Jan. 4, 2016, he traveled by bus from Deming to California to pick up two pounds of methamphetamine.  He further admitted that on Jan. 6, 2016, law enforcement agents seized his bag, which contained the methamphetamine while he was on the bus returning to Deming.  Andy Garcia remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. 

Rodriguez previously entered a guilty plea on Sept. 13, 2016, and Williams entered a guilty plea on Sept. 20, 2016.  Sentencing hearings have yet to be scheduled.  The remaining two co-defendants have entered pleas of not guilty to the indictment.  Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of Homeland Security Investigations and the Luna County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark A. Saltman and Dustin C. Segovia of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office are prosecuting the case.

ALBUQUERQUE – Jose Rios, 23, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 15 years in prison for his conviction on federal carjacking and firearms charges.  Rios will be on supervised release for five years after he completes his prison sentence.

The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, 2nd Judicial District Attorney Kari E. Brandenburg, Special Agent in Charge Thomas G. Atteberry of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Gorden Eden, Jr., of the Albuquerque Police Department.

Rios was indicted in Dec. 2013, and was charged with illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition in May 2013, July 2013, and Aug. 2013.  The indictment also charged Rios with committing a carjacking on Aug. 14, 2013, and brandishing a firearm during that crime of violence.  Rios committed the five crimes in Bernalillo County, N.M.  At the time, Rios was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of several felony offenses, including the unlawful taking of a vehicle, aggravated fleeing from a law enforcement officer, and conspiracy to unlawfully take a vehicle.

Rios was arrested on the federal charges on May 9, 2014, after he was transferred to federal custody from state custody where he was facing related state charges.  The state charges were later dismissed in favor of federal prosecution.

On June 4, 2015, Rios pled guilty to Counts 1, 3 and 4 of the indictment which charged him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, carjacking and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.  In entering the guilty plea, Rios admitted that on May 9, 2013, he unlawfully possessed a revolver and ammunition in Bernalillo County.  Rios further admitted that he brandished a firearm on Aug. 14, 2013, while committing a carjacking. 

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Albuquerque Police Department, with assistance from the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel A. Hurtado 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.  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 offenders from counties with the highest violent crime rates, including Bernalillo County, N.M., under this initiative.

ALBUQUERQUE – Dexter Diaz, 32, of Gallup, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 120 months in prison for his conviction on a methamphetamine trafficking charge.  Diaz will be on supervised release for five years following his prison sentence.

The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy of the DEA’s El Paso Division, McKinley County Sheriff Ronald Silversmith, and Chief Timothy Trimble of the Zuni Pueblo Tribal Police Department.

Diaz, whose criminal history includes felony convictions for three drug trafficking crimes, is being prosecuted as part of the federal “worst of the worst” anti-violence initiative.  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 felony 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 rates, on a per capita basis, are amongst the highest in the nation, New Mexico’s law enforcement community is collaborating to target repeat offenders from counties with the highest violent crime rates, including McKinley County, under this initiative.

Diaz was arrested in Sept. 2015, on an indictment charging him with distributing methamphetamine on March 26, 2015, in McKinley County, N.M.  The indictment included forfeiture allegations requiring Diaz to forfeit $1,600 in drug proceeds to the United States.

On Feb. 25, 2016, Diaz entered a guilty plea to the indictment.  In entering the guilty plea, Diaz admitted that on March 26, 2015, he sold two ounces of methamphetamine to another person for $1,600. 

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA, the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office and the Zuni Pueblo Tribal Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Jon Ganjei is prosecuting the case.

ALBUQUERQUE – A U.S. Magistrate Judge sitting in Albuquerque, N.M., found probable cause yesterday morning to support a criminal complaint charging Edwin Josue Torres, 24, of Sherman Oaks, Calif., with a methamphetamine trafficking offense.  Torres was ordered detained pending trial.

Torres was arrested on Sept. 29, 2016, and was charged in a criminal complaint with a methamphetamine trafficking offense after the New Mexico State Police (NMSP) seized approximately 38.25 pounds of methamphetamine from him following a routine traffic stop.  The methamphetamine was concealed inside nine individual packages inside two bags in the trunk of Torres’ vehicle.  NMSP notified Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) about the seizure, and HSI referred the matter for federal prosecution.

If convicted of the offense against him, Torres faces a statutory minimum penalty of ten years and a maximum of life in prison.  The charges against Torres are merely accusations and he is presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of HSI and the NMSP.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Presiliano Torrez is prosecuting the case.

ALBUQUERQUE – Dalchimsky Begay, 26, an enrolled member of the Zuni Pueblo who resides in Rio Rancho, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to a sexual abuse of a minor charge.

Begay was arrested in June 2016, on an indictment charging him with sexually abusing a minor who was between 12 and 16 years of age.  According to the indictment, Begay committed the crime on Feb. 14, 2015, on the Navajo Nation in San Juan County, N.M.

During today’s proceedings, Begay pled guilty to the indictment and admitted engaging in a sexual act with the victim who was between 12 and 16 years of age and was four years younger than Begay. 

At sentencing, Begay faces a statutory maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison.  He also will be required to register as a sex offender after he completes his prison sentence.  Begay was remanded into custody pending his sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Gallup office of the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Novaline D. Wilson.

ALBUQUERQUE – David Ausborn Hiles, 49, of La Luz, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 70 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.  Hiles was also ordered to forfeit 36 firearms and approximately 15,000 rounds of ammunition. 

Hiles was arrested in Feb. 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.  The complaint charged Hiles with unlawfully possessing 36 firearms and ammunition at his residence in Otero County, N.M., on Nov. 25, 2014.  According to the criminal complaint, the New Mexico State Police found the firearms and ammunition while executing a search warrant at Hiles’ residence. 

Hiles was subsequently indicted on the same charge on April 14, 2015.  Accorindg to the indictment, Hiles was prohibited from possessing either firearms or ammunition because he previously has been convicted of the felony offenses of attempting to manufacture methamphetamine, tampering with evidence, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and intimidation of a witness.

On Jan. 14, 2016, Hiles pled guilty to a felony information charging him with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.  Hiles admitted that on Nov. 25, 2014, he was in possession of 36 firearms and approximately 15,000 rounds of miscellaneous ammunition. 

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the New Mexico State Police, with assistance from the 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office for the State of New Mexico.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo prosecuted the case.

ALBUQUERQUE – Last week a federal grand jury indicted eight individuals on conspiracy and cocaine trafficking charges based on a DEA-led investigation into a drug trafficking organization that allegedly distributed cocaine in Doña Ana County, N.M.  Seven of the eight defendants were arrested today during an early morning law enforcement operation that also included the execution of search warrants at two residences in Las Cruces, N.M., and two residences in Sunland Park, N.M.

The indictment and arrests were announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez and Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy of DEA’s El Paso Division. 

The 18-count indictment is the result of a six-month investigation, which was designated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program, targeting a drug trafficking organization allegedly led by Joel Ibarra-Torres, 46, a Mexican national, that allegedly distributed cocaine in Doña Ana County. Ibarra-Torres has yet to be arrested and is considered a fugitive.

The indictment alleges that Ibarra-Torres and seven co-conspirators, including several members of Ibarra-Torres’ family, participated in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy that existed from at least March 31, 2016 until Sept. 20, 2016.  The indictment also alleges that Ibarra-Torres and two of his co-defendants participated in an international money laundering conspiracy.  It also charges certain of the defendants with substantive cocaine trafficking offenses and with using telephones to facilitate their drug trafficking activity.  The indictment includes forfeiture provisions that seek the forfeiture of at least $31,620, constituting proceeds of the defendants’ alleged criminal activities, to the United States.

Initial appearances, which will be held at the federal courthouse in Las Cruces, for the seven defendants arrested today have yet to be scheduled.

The investigation leading to the indictment was conducted by the Las Cruces office of the DEA, the U.S. Border Patrol and the FBI.  The U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations, National Guard, Sunland Park Police Department, New Mexico State Police and the Las Cruces Police Department participated in today’s law enforcement operation.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Terri J. Abernathy and Sarah M. Davenport of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch office.

Indictment in United States v. Joel Ibarra-Torres, et al. 16-CR-3796

Summary of the Charges

Count 1 of the Indictment charges the eight defendants with participating in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy in Doña Ana County and elsewhere from at least March 31, 2016 through Sept. 20, 2016.  The statutory penalty for a conviction on this count is imprisonment for not less than five years and not more than 40 years.

Count 2 charges three defendants with participating in a money laundering conspiracy in Doña Ana County from at least June 15, 2016 through Sept. 20, 2016.  The maximum statutory penalty for a conviction on this count is 20 years.

Count 3, 5 and 8 charge certain defendants with distributing cocaine in Doña Ana County on June 9, 2016, July 14, 2016, and Aug. 25, 2016.  The maximum statutory penalty for a conviction on each of these counts is imprisonment for 20 years.

Counts 4, 6, 7 and 9 charge certain defendants with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute in Doña Ana County on July 14, 2016, Aug. 25, 2016 and Aug. 26, 2016.  The maximum statutory penalty for a conviction on each of these counts is imprisonment for not less than five years and not more than 40 years.

Counts 10 through 18 charge certain defendants with using a communication facility, a telephone, in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in Doña Ana County on June 29, 2016, July 13, 2016, July 14, 2016, July 15, 2016, July 25, 2016 and July 31, 2016.  The maximum statutory penalty for a conviction on each of these counts is imprisonment for four years.

Defendants Charged in Indictment

• Joel Ibarra-Torres, 46, a Mexican national, is charged in Counts 1, 2, 12, 16, and 18.  Ibarra-Torres has yet to be arrested and is considered a fugitive.
• Noemi Ibarra, 23, of Las Cruces, N.M., is charged in Counts 1, 2, 6, 11, 13, 15, 16, and 18. 
• Joel Ibarra, Jr., 21, of Sunland Park, N.M., is charged in Counts 1, 2, 6 and 13.
• Juan Velazquez, 26, of Las Cruces, is charged in Counts 1, 3- 5, 7-12, 14, 15 and 17.
• Alejandro Chavez, 27, of Las Cruces, is charged in Counts 1, 9, 10 and 17.
• Rene Cruz-Vargas, 40 a Mexican national, is charged in Counts 1, 4, 7 and 14.
• Denise Duarte, 24, of Sunland Park, is charged in Count 1.
• Gabriela Castro, 24, a legal permanent resident from El Paso, Texas, is charged in Count 1.

Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

ALBUQUERQUE – Jeanne J. Barron, 24, of Las Cruces, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to methamphetamine and heroin trafficking charges.

Barron was arrested in July 2015, on a criminal complaint charging her with possession of methamphetamine and heroin with intent to distribute on July 10, 2015, in Bernalillo County, N.M..  According to the complaint, law enforcement officers located a bag containing several individual packages containing 5.37 kilograms (11.98 pounds) of methamphetamine and two packages containing 1.08 kilograms (2.4 pounds) of heroin in Barron’s vehicle during a traffic stop.  Barron was subsequently indicted on the same charges on July 30, 2015.

During today’s proceedings, Barron pled guilty to a felony information charging her with possession of methamphetamine and heroin with intent to distribute.  In entering the guilty plea, Barron admitted that on July 10, 2015, she was stopped by law enforcement officers while traveling from Phoenix, Ariz., to Oklahoma City, Okla.  Barron further admitted that the law enforcement officers found ten packages containing 11.98 pounds of methamphetamine and two packages containing 2.4 pounds of heroin in the trunk of her vehicle during the traffic stop. 

At sentencing, Barron faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.  A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of Homeland Security Investigations and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Rumaldo R. Armijo 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.

ALBUQUERQUE – Keyton Wayne Lieber, 37, of Las Cruces, N.M., was sentenced yesterday afternoon in federal court to 70 months in prison for unlawfully possessing a destructive device.  Lieber will be on supervised release for two years after completing his prison sentence.

Lieber was arrested on Jan. 21, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with possessing a destructive device, an explosive grenade, on April 21, 2015, in Doña Ana County, N.M.  According to the complaint, New Mexico State Police (NMSP) officers found the grenade in Lieber’s residence while executing a search warrant.  Upon discovering the grenade, the NMSP Bomb Team and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were contacted to safely dispose of the destructive device. 

On June 28, 2016, Lieber pled guilty to possessing a destructive device, which was not registered to him.  Court documents indicate that inquiry into the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR) notified law enforcement that Lieber had no firearms or devices registered to him in the NFRTR.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the ATF and the NMSP.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy M. Castellano of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office prosecuted the case.

ALBUQUERQUE – Two residents of Albuquerque, N.M., have been arrested on a federal indictment alleging prescription drug trafficking charges, announced U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy of DEA’s El Paso Division, and Chief Patrick Gallagher of the Santa Fe Police Department (SFPD).

Yvonne Garcia, 54, and Gerald Roberts, 49, were arrested yesterday on a nine-count indictment charging them with participating in a conspiracy to distribute prescription drugs including oxycodone, oxymorphone and alprazolam.  The couple made their initial appearances in federal court this morning, and remain in custody pending arraignment and detention hearings scheduled for Friday morning.

According to the indictment, the defendants distributed prescription drugs on eight separate occasions, twice in Santa Fe County and six times in Bernalillo County, N.M., between May 2016 and Sept. 2016.  The indictment includes forfeiture provisions requiring Garcia and Roberts to forfeit $15,500, representing proceeds of their alleged drug trafficking scheme.  It also seeks forfeiture of three vehicles – 2016 Toyota Camry, a 2016 Toyota Tacoma and a 2013 BMW motorcycle – which allegedly were used by Garcia and Roberts to facilitate their trafficking activities.

If convicted on the charges in the indictment, Garcia and Roberts each face a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.  Charges in indictments are merely accusations, and criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Tactical Diversion Squad of the DEA in Albuquerque and the SFPD investigated this case.  DEA’s Tactical Diversion Squads combine DEA resources with those of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in an innovative effort to investigate, disrupt and dismantle those suspected of violating the Controlled Substances Act or other appropriate federal, state or local statutes pertaining to the diversion of licit pharmaceutical controlled substances or listed chemicals.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shana B. Long and Peter Eicker 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.

ALBUQUERQUE – Ruben Fuentes, Jr., 38, of Oklahoma City, Okla., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to a methamphetamine trafficking charge.  The charge to which Fuentes pleaded guilty arose out a seizure of more than 13 pounds of methamphetamine during a traffic stop.

Fuentes was arrested on March 22, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.  The criminal complaint alleged that Fuentes committed the crime on March 10, 2016, in Quay County, N.M.  According to the criminal complaint, New Mexico State Police (NMSP) officers found approximately 13.45 pounds of methamphetamine in Fuentes’ vehicle during a traffic stop on eastbound Interstate 40 near mile marker 327.  Fuentes was subsequently indicted on the same charge on April 12, 2016. 

During today’s proceedings, Fuentes pled guilty to a felony information charging him with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.  In entering the guilty plea, Fuentes admitted that on March 10, 2016, when he was stopped by the NMSP in Quay County, he was in possession of methamphetamine which he intended to distribute to others.

At sentencing, Fuentes faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.  He remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of Homeland Security Investigations and the NMSP.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Mysliwiec is prosecuting the case.

ALBUQUERQUE – George Begay, 47, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Fruitland, N.M., pleaded guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to a methamphetamine trafficking charge.  The guilty plea was entered without the benefit of a plea agreement.

Begay was arrested on May 11, 2016, on an indictment charging him with distributing methamphetamine on April 29, 2014, in San Juan County, N.M.  During today’s proceedings, Begay pled guilty to the indictment. 

At sentencing, Begay faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.  Begay remains in custody pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of Homeland Security Investigations and the HIDTA Region II Narcotics Task Force.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Y. Ramirez is prosecuting the case.

The HIDTA Region II Narcotics Task Force is comprised of officers and investigators from the Farmington Police Department, San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, Bloomfield Police Department, Aztec Police Department and HSI Albuquerque, and is part of 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 – Jarod Martin, 36, a member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Crownpoint, N.M., was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 183 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his conviction on assault and firearms charges.  Martin’s crimes of conviction arose out of his March 2, 2015, assault against two Navajo Nation tribal police officers, one of whom was commissioned as a special federal officer by the BIA, during which Martin fired shots at one of the officers and later brandished his firearm at both officers. 

Martin’s sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge Terry Wade of the FBI’s Albuquerque Division, and Director Jesse Delmar of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety.

Martin was arrested on March 10, 2015, on a criminal complaint alleging that he assaulted a federal officer and a tribal police officer.  Martin was subsequently indicted and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, assault on a federal officer, being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, and two counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.  At the time of his arrest, Martin was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of a felony offense.

According to court filings, Martin assaulted two officers of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety, including one who was a federal officer because he held a Special Law Enforcement Commission from the BIA.  Martin committed the crimes on March 2, 2015, on the Navajo Indian Reservation in McKinley County, N.M.  Martin assaulted the tribal police officer by shooting at the officer as the officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Martin’s vehicle.  After a vehicle pursuit that ended when Martin’s vehicle got stuck on the side of the road, Martin continued his flight on foot.  Two tribal police officers, including one who was federally commissioned, were able to track Martin to a ravine where he pointed a firearm at the officers as they attempted to apprehend him.  Martin was arrested after one of the officers shot Martin in the foot.

On Dec. 15, 2015, Martin pled guilty to assault with a deadly weapon, assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon, being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

This case was investigated by the Gallup office of the FBI and the Crownpoint office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquel Ruiz-Velez prosecuted 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.  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 offenders from counties with the highest violent crime rates, including McKinley County, N.M., under this initiative.

 

ALBUQUERQUE – Jacob P. Wheeler, 25, of Santa Fe, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 46 months in prison for his armed bank robbery conviction.  Wheeler will be on supervised release for three years after completing his prison sentence.

Wheeler was arrested on May 26, 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with robbing the Century Bank branch located at 498 N. Guadalupe St. in Santa Fe, on May 15, 2015.  Wheeler robbed the bank by pointing a gun at the bank teller, demanding money, and climbing up onto the teller’s counter to grab money from a cash drawer.  Wheeler became the target of investigation later that day after the FBI received a tip identifying Wheeler as the bank robber.

Wheeler was subsequently indicted on June 24, 2015, and charged with armed bank robbery.

On March 7, 2016, Wheeler pled guilty to the indictment and admitted that he robbed the Century Bank branch in Santa Fe on May 15, 2015.  Wheeler also admitted using  a dangerous weapon to commit the robbery.    

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Santa Fe Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman Cairns. 

ALBUQUERQUE – Yvon Juteau, 32, a non-Indian who resides in Taos, N.M., was arraigned today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., on an indictment alleging that he assaulted two Native Americans.  Juteau entered a not guilty plea and was detained pending trial.

Juteau was arrested on Sept. 23, 2016, on an indictment charging him with assaulting a Native American man and woman in Indian Country in Taos County, N.M., on July 10, 2013.  The indictment alleges that the assault resulted in serious bodily injury.

If convicted of the crime charged in the indictment, Juteau faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison.  Charges in indictments are merely accusations.  Criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was investigated by the Northern Pueblos Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Spindle.

ALBUQUERQUE – Lewis Templeton, 62, of Eunice, N.M., pled guilty this morning in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to violating the federal firearms laws.

Templeton was arrested on May 4, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with possessing an unregistered firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm on Nov. 3, 2015, in Lea County, N.M.  According to the complaint, on Nov. 3, 2015, law enforcement officers found two rifles and ammunition while executing a search warrant at Templeton’s residence.  A search of the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR) confirmed that one of the firearms, a sawed-off rifle, was not registered with the NFRTR.

According to court documents, Templeton was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of a number of felony offenses.  Templeton’s criminal history includes convictions for aggravated assault, aggravated burglary and sexual penetration, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

During today’s proceedings, Templeton pled guilty to a felony information charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm.  In entering the guilty plea, Templeton admitted that on Nov. 3 2015, he possessed two firearms and ammunition even though he was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition because of his status as a convicted felon.

At sentencing, Templeton faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison.  He remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the 5th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Luis A. Martinez of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

Defendant was One of the 104 Individuals Federally Charged as a Result of ATF-Led Investigation Pursued In Support of Federal “Worst of the Worst” Anti-Violence Initiative

ALBUQUERQUE – Timothy Dilley, 34, of Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court to heroin and methamphetamine trafficking charges. 

Dilley was arrested during of an ATF-led investigation that resulted in the filing of 58 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.

Dilley and his co-defendant, Jonathan Aragon, 37, also of Albuquerque were arrested in July 2016, based on an indictment alleging that they participated in a drug trafficking conspiracy, and distributed methamphetamine and distribution of heroin in June 2016, in Bernalillo County, N.M.  The indictment included forfeiture provisions requiring Dilley and Aragon to pay $1,400 to the United States.

During today’s change of plea hearing, Dilley pled guilty to distributing heroin and methamphetamine on June 15, 2016.  In entering the guilty plea, Dilley admitted selling heroin and methamphetamine to an undercover ATF agent.

At sentencing, Dilley faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.  Dilley remains in federal custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

To date, three of the 104 defendants charges as a result of the ATF investigation have entered guilty pleas.  The remaining defendants, including Dilley’s co-defendant, have entered not guilty pleas.  Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.

The case against Dilley was investigated by the Albuquerque offices of ATF and DEA and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul H. Spiers.

In addition to being prosecuted under the federal “worst of the worst” initiative, this case also is being prosecuted 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 – The DEA has arrested a pharmacy technician on a federal theft of medical products charge arising out of the theft of more than 20,000 prescription opioid tablets from the pharmacy that previously employed the technician, announced U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez and Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy of DEA’s El Paso Division.

Amber Otero, 30, of Carlsbad, N.M., was arrested this morning on a criminal complaint charging her with theft of medical products.  According to the criminal complaint, the DEA initiated the investigation leading to Otero’s arrest in Aug. 2016, after receiving a report of theft of loss of controlled substances from a pharmacy in Carlsbad.  The pharmacy’s report alleged that 20,344 oxycodone tablets of various strengths had been stolen from the pharmacy.  Otero, who had been employed as a pharmacy technician by the pharmacy, was identified as the suspected thief.

Otero is scheduled for an initial appearance in federal court in Roswell, N.M., on Sept. 27, 2016. 

If convicted on the charge in the criminal complaint, Otero faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.  Charges in criminal complaints are merely accusations, and criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Tactical Diversion Squad of the DEA in El Paso, Texas investigated this case.  DEA’s Tactical Diversion Squads combine DEA resources with those of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in an innovative effort to investigate, disrupt and dismantle those suspected of violating the Controlled Substances Act or other appropriate federal, state or local statutes pertaining to the diversion of licit pharmaceutical controlled substances or listed chemicals.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Beck is prosecuting 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.

ALBUQUERQUE – U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez will deliver the luncheon address during today’s session of the 2nd Annual NAACP Albuquerque Civil Rights & Diversity Conference.  The U.S. Attorney will deliver his remarks, entitled “Civil Rights in New Mexico:  No One is Above the Law, and No One is Below It,” at 12:00 p.m. today, Friday, September 23, 2016, at the Alvarado E Ballroom of the Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town at 800 Rio Grande Blvd. NW in Albuquerque, NM.

WHO:            

U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez

WHEN:         

Friday, September 23, 2016 at 12:00 p.m.

 WHERE:     

Alvarado E Ballroom

Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town

800 Rio Grande Blvd. NW

Albuquerque, NM 87104

OPEN PRESS

NOTE: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (i.e., driver’s license) and valid media credentials.  Inquiries regarding logistics should be directed to Alyssa Ferda at 505-224-1480 (office), 505-366-1463 (cellphone) or [email protected].

ALBUQUERQUE – Gerry Billy Olivas, 39, of El Paso, Texas, pled guilty today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to a cocaine trafficking charge under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Olivas was arrested on Aug. 3, 2016, on a criminal complaint alleging that he possessed approximately 18.8 kilograms (41.44 pounds) of cocaine in Otero County, N.M.  According to the complaint, Olivas was arrested on Aug. 3, 2016, after U.S. Border Patrol agents at the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint south of Alamogordo, N.M., allegedly seized approximately 16.2 kilograms (35.71 pounds) of cocaine from Olivas’ vehicle.  The agents also seized approximately 2.6 kilograms (5.73 pounds) of cocaine from a storage unit located in El Paso that was allegedly owned by Olivas. 

During today’s proceedings, Olivas pled guilty to a felony information charging him with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.  In entering the guilty, Olivas admitted that on Aug. 3, 2016, he transported approximately 16.2 kilograms of cocaine with the intention of delivering the cocaine to another person.  Olivas further admitted that he also possessed 2.6 kilograms of cocaine in a storage unit which he intended to deliver to another person.

At sentencing, Olivas faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.  He remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Alamogordo station of the U.S. Border Patrol and the Las Cruces office of the DEA.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Brock Taylor of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

ALBUQUERQUE – Johnny Sanchez, 39, of Los Lunas, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 72 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

Sanchez was arrested on Sept. 9, 2014, on a federal indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm.  The indictment alleged that the crimes took place on May 29, 2013, in Valencia County, N.M.

On June 22, 2016, Sanchez pled guilty to the felon in possession of a firearm charge.  In entering the guilty plea, Sanchez admitted that he was prohibited from possessing firearms on May 29, 2013, because of his previous felony convictions for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Sanchez 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 Los Lunas Police Department with assistance from the 13th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Rumaldo R. Armijo prosecuted the case. 

ALBUQUERQUE – Joel Dominguez-Morales, 41, a Mexican national, was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 145 months in prison for his methamphetamine trafficking conviction.  Dominguez-Morales will be deported after he completes his prison sentence.

Dominguez-Morales, a permanent resident from Mexico, was arrested on May 6, 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him  with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and participation in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Lea County, N.M., in May 2015.  Dominguez-Morales, along with four co-defendants, Javier Amador-Flores, 49, Maria Marcelina Cardoza-Burciaga, 40, Jose Manuel Trujillo, 41and Myrna Orozco, 32, a U.S. citizen were later indicted on a charge of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Lea County in May 2015. 

Dominguez-Morales pled guilty to the indictment and admitted to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine on Sept. 4, 2015.  

Cardoza-Burciaga and Orozco previously pled guilty to participating in the methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy charged.  Amador-Flores elected to proceed to trial and was found guilty July 20, 2016.   The evidence at trial established that Amador-Flores participated in the 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 be delivering 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. 

Cardoza-Burciaga was sentenced on Aug. 17, 2016.  At sentencing Orozco faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and Amador-Flores faces a statutory mandatory minimum of ten years and a maximum of life in prison.  Amador-Flores will be deported after completing his prison sentence.        

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.

U.S. Attorney’s Participation in Tomorrow’s Broadcast is One of the HOPE Initiative’s National Heroin and Opioid Awareness Week Events

ALBUQUERQUE – The New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative, a partnership between the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, is hosting a series of education events during National Heroin and Opioid Awareness Week, Sept. 19-24, 2016.  Tomorrow morning, U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez will join KANW General Manager Michael Brasher during KANW’s Morning Edition broadcast to discuss the HOPE’s Initiative’s efforts to combat New Mexico’s heroin and opioid epidemic, and the events hosted by HOPE this week.  Discussion details from this event will be posted to the NM HOPE Initiative website and available to the public at www.hopeinitiativenm.org.

WHO:            

U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez

Michael Brasher, General Manager, KANW

WHAT:         

Guest Appearance on KANW’s Morning Edition broadcast to discuss New Mexico’s Heroin and Opioid Epidemic

WHEN:         

Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016, 6:00 am to 8:00 am

WHERE:      

KANW 89.1FM

The HOPE Initiative was launched in Jan. 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national heroin and 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 Opioid Accountability Initiative, 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 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.

HOPE Initiative’s National Heroin and Opioid Awareness Week Event to be Held on September 22, 2016 at Freedom High School

ALBUQUERQUE – The New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative, a partnership between the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, is hosting a series of education events during National Heroin and Opioid Awareness Week, Sept. 19-24, 2016. 

The HOPE Initiative’s Awareness Week events include two education programs at Freedom High School in Albuquerque, N.M., on Sept. 22, 2016.  U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, and Brittany Haggard and Jordan Barton, Pharm. D. candidates at the UNM College of Pharmacy who are part of Generation Rx, will discuss the dangers associated with heroin and prescription opioid misuse and abuse with students at Freedom High School.  Generation Rx is an educational outreach program of the UNM College of Pharmacy that educates middle school, high school and college students, parents and senior citizens about the dangers of prescription drug misuse.  Discussion details from this event will be posted to the NM HOPE Initiative website and available to the public at www.hopeinitiativenm.org.

Freedom High School is part of the Albuquerque Public School system.  It was founded in 1970 and established as an alternative school.  The school population is small with 160 enrolled.  Classes are generally 20 students or less with an emphasis on a strong relationship between advisee and advisor.  Freedom High School fosters a “strong sense of community ... from a culture of tolerance and compassion, open communication, and active student engagement and participation.”  Freedom High School’s mission is to provide “a small, safe, personalized learning environment where students are supported and challenged.”  Its primary goal is to help all students maximize their potential and graduate high school and successfully pursue post high school goals. 

WHO:            

U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez

Brittany Haggard, Pharm. D. Candidate at the UNM College of Pharmacy & Chairperson of Generation Rx

Jordan Barton, Pharm. D. Candidate at the UNM College of Pharmacy & member of Generation Rx

WHAT:         

Education programs about the dangers associated with heroin and prescription opioid misuse and abuse with students at Freedom High School

WHEN:         

Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016

Programs to begin at 10:30 am and 11:30 am

 WHERE:      

Freedom High School

5200 Cutler Ave NE

Albuquerque, NM

OPEN PRESS

NOTE: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (i.e., driver’s license) and valid media credentials.  Media may take photographs and video-record as long as the students’ faces are not visible.  Media may begin to arrive at 10:15 am.  Inquiries regarding logistics should be directed to Alyssa Ferda at 505-224-1480 or [email protected].

The HOPE Initiative was launched in Jan. 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national heroin and 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 Opioid Accountability Initiative, 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 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.

ALBUQUERQUE – Matthew Yazzie, 27, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Shiprock, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 78 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his conviction on assault charges.

Yazzie was arrested on Sept. 21, 2015, on a federal indictment charging him with assaulting two women and a man on June 13, 2015, in Indian Country in San Juan County, N.M.  According to the indictment, the victims suffered serious bodily injuries as a result of the assaults.

On March 4, 2016, Yazzie pled guilty to the indictment without the benefit of a plea agreement.  In its proffer of evidence, the United States indicated that Yazzie assaulted the victims by crashing the vehicle he was driving while under the influence of alcohol. 

This case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI, the New Mexico State Police and the Shiprock office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Y. Ramirez prosecuted the case.

ALBUQUERQUE – Harrison Cambridge, 56, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Shiprock, N.M., was sentenced this morning in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 42 months in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for his conviction on an abusive sexual contact charge.  Cambridge will also be required to register as a sex offender after he completes his prison sentence.

Cambridge was arrested in Dec. 2015, on a criminal complaint alleging that he sexually abused a Navajo child under the age of 12 on Dec. 20, 2015, on the Navajo Indian Reservation in San Juan County, N.M.

Cambridge was indicted on Jan. 14, 2016, and charged with abusive sexual contact of a child under the age of 12.  On March 31, 2016, Cambridge entered a guilty plea to the indictment. 

This case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI and the Shiprock office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Spindle 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/.

HOPE Initiative’s National Heroin and Opioid Awareness Week Event to be Held on September 20, 2016 at Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque

ALBUQUERQUE –  The New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative, a partnership between the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, is hosting a series of education events during National Heroin and Opioid Awareness Week, Sept. 19-24, 2016.  Bruce G. Ohr, Associate Deputy Attorney General and Director of DOJ’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program, will participate in the HOPE Initiative’s events. 

The HOPE Initiative’s Awareness Week events will include a listening session during which Justice Department officials will hear from tribal leaders from the New Mexico tribes most deeply affected by the national heroin and opioid epidemic.  At 2:00 pm on Sept. 20, 2016, tribal leaders and police chiefs from the Eight Northern Indian Pueblos will meet with Associate Deputy Attorney General Ohr and U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, N.M., to discuss the devastating impact heroin and opioids have had on tribal communities in northern New Mexico.  Indian Health Services (IHS) physicians who provide care to New Mexico's Native American population and medical professionals from the UNM Health Science Center who provide pain and addiction training to IHS providers throughout the country will participate in the discussion.

Tribal leaders, DOJ officials, and medical professionals from the UNM Health Sciences Center will be available to meet with the media at 3:30 p.m. at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center following the listening session.  Discussion details from this event will be posted to the NM HOPE Initiative website and available to the public at www.hopeinitiativenm.org.

WHO:            

DOJ Officials, Tribal Leaders and UNM Medical Providers will be available to speak with the media at 3:30 pm following the listening session.

Participants in Listening Session (in formation)

Associate Deputy Attorney General Bruce G. Ohr

U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez

Gil Vigil, Executive Director Eight Northern Indian Pueblos, Inc.

Pojoaque Pueblo Governor Joseph Talachy

Santa Clara Pueblo Governor Michael Chavarria

Dr. Joanna G. Katzman, Director of the UNM Pain Clinic

Dr. Snehal R. Bhatt, UNM Psychiatry Center, Medical Director of Addictions and Substance Abuse Programs

Dr. Leonard Thomas, Acting Director and Chief Medical Officer, Albuquerque Area Office, Indian Health Services

Dr. Chris Fore, Director of IHS Telebehavioral Health Center of Excellence

Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Burge, BIA Office of Justice Services

Assistant Special Agent in Charge Louis Poitra, BIA Office of Justice Services

Police Chief Brenda Gonzalez, BIA Northern Pueblos Agency

Police Chief Travis LeBeaux, BIA Southern Pueblos Agency

Special Agent Craig, BIA Division of Drug Enforcement

FBI Supervisory Special Agent Benedict B. Bourgeois

Pojoaque Pueblo Tribal Police Chief Frank Rael

Santa Clara Pueblo Tribal Police Chief Roger Naranjo

WHAT:         

Media Availability following DOJ Listening Session with Tribal Leaders

WHEN:         

Tuesday, September 20, 2016 at 3:30 pm

WHERE:      

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

2401 12th Street NW, Albuquerque, NM

OPEN PRESS

NOTE: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (i.e., driver’s license) and valid media credentials.  Media may begin to arrive at 3:15 pm.  Inquiries regarding logistics should be directed to Alyssa Ferda at 505-224-1480 (office), 505-366-1463 (cell), or [email protected].

NOTE:  Reporters who cannot participate in the media availability but are interested in participating in telephone interviews conference should contact Alyssa Ferda. See contact information above.     

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.

ALBUQUERQUE – Raiff Harland Hayes, 25, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentence in federal court this morning to 120 months in prison for discharging a firearm during the robbery of a commercial business.  Hayes will be on supervised release for three years after completing his prison sentence.

Hayes was arrested on Aug. 18, 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with violating the Hobbs Act and federal firearms laws.  According to the complaint, Hayes robbed ABQ Interlock, a business located at 2444 Menaul Blvd. NE in Albuquerque, on the afternoon of July 27, 2015.  According to surveillance video, Hayes pointed a firearm at two employees, fired a shot into the ceiling, placed a bag on the counter, and demanded that the employees put cash into his bag.  On July 28, 2015, one of the employees identified Hayes as the robber from a photo array.  Thereafter Hayes was arrested on state charges that were later dismissed in favor of federal prosecution.    

Hayes was indicted on Sept. 10, 2015, and charged with violating the Hobbs Act and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence on July 27, 2015, in Bernalillo County, N.M. 

On May 23, 2016, Hayes pled guilty to Count 2 of the indictment and admitted discharging a firearm during the armed robbery of a business engaged in interstate commerce. 

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Albuquerque and the Albuquerque Police Department with assistance from the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman Cairns prosecuted 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.  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 offenders from counties with the highest violent crime rates, including Bernalillo County, N.M., under this initiative.

Lou Duran is Affiliated with Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC) and is Regular Collaborator in HOPE Initiative’s Education and Outreach Efforts

ALBUQUERQUE –  The President of the United States, Barack Obama, has designated the week of September 19-24, 2016, Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week, and has called for a “week of action” to raise awareness about the public health crisis caused by the growing heroin and opioid epidemic.  As part of the national awareness week, National Drug Control Policy Director Michael Botticelli and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today hosted a roundtable conversation in the White House with parents from across the country whose family members have been affected by the prescription opioid and heroin epidemic.  Lou Duran, of Albuquerque, N.M., was one of 14 parents who participated in the round table.  Following the roundtable conversation, Ms. Duran was one of two parents who joined Director Botticelli, Secretary Vilsack and U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch for a telephonic press conference to discuss the roundtable conversation.

Ms. Duran lost her 19-year-old son Michael to a heroin overdose in 2011, after a 2.5 year struggle with addiction.  Michael was a high school athlete who was prescribed opioids for a sports-related injury, got addicted, and moved on to heroin.  Following Michael’s death, Ms. Duran decided that no other mother should never suffer the loss of a child to addiction, and began her personal campaign:  “his face, my voice.”

Ms. Duran has devoted the last five years to being an advocate in the community by bringing awareness and education to youth and their families, and shedding light on the stigma and shame associated with addiction.  Her efforts have included statewide presentations in various community events, school presentations, treatment centers, community groups, seminars, conferences, as well as participating in three documentaries.

A month after losing Michael, Lou joined Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), which provided a platform for her advocacy.  HAC is a nonprofit, grassroots group of parents and grandparents who advocate for those who struggle with addiction and the families of those who struggle.  Ms. Duran and her friend Jennifer Weiss-Burke, who lost her son Cameron to a heroin overdose in 2011 and who founded HAC and Serenity Mesa, a substance abuse treatment center for adolescents and young adults, have collaborated with the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative from the time it was launched in Jan. 2015.  Ms. Duran and Ms. Weiss-Burke were part of the inspiration that led the U.S. Attorney to approach Chancellor Paul B. Roth of the UNM Health Sciences Center about partnering up in the HOPE Initiative.

“Years before the rest of the country realized that the opioid epidemic was looming, Lou Duran, Jennifer Weiss-Burke and HAC were using their personal stories to draw attention to this critically important issue.  They understood that the first step towards defeating this devastating epidemic was to make our communities’ aware of its existence and the devastating impact it was having on all aspects of our society,” said U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez.  “The HOPE Initiative continues to be inspired by Lou, Jennifer and HAC, and we are proud to partner with them on HOPE’s education and prevention efforts.”

The HOPE Initiative is a partnership established 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.

White House Awareness Week Press Call