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THE NEW MEXICAN Friday, December 6, 2013
Aragon: Ex-senator released early Continued from Page A-1 ment about Aragon. An employee of Twohig confirmed that Thursday was Aragon’s release day. Aragon’s original release date was May 2, 2014. Aragon pleaded guilty in federal court in 2008 to three felony counts of conspiracy and mail fraud and was sentenced to five-and-a-half years. All counts were related to a scheme to defraud the state of nearly $4.4 million in the construction of the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Courthouse in Albuquerque. The crimes took place while Aragon was serving as state Senate president pro-tem. In addition to his prison sentence, Aragon was fined $750,000 — most of which he’d already forfeited to the government before he was sentenced — and ordered to pay at least $649,000 in restitution. In a court action filed in May, Aragon claimed he was paying more than his fair share in court-ordered reimbursements to the state. The motion said Aragon had not been able to get a recent
accounting for how much he and other co-defendants in the case have paid in restitution and how much they still owe. Aragon continued to make the monthly payments ordered by the court while he was in prison, the motion said. The state Treasurer’s Office said in June that the state had received nearly $405,000 in restitution from Aragon. First elected to the Senate in 1974, and winning the president pro-tem post in 1988, Aragon was credited for helping to build the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, working against gangs and drug trafficking in Albuquerque’s South Valley, providing dental care to the poor and helping in the fight to close drive-up liquor windows. But he often provoked controversy and frequently was accused by his opponents of being arrogant. In 1998, he took a consulting job with Wackenhut, a private prison firm now known as GEO that still contracts with the state. That eventually led to a coup in early 2001, when three
Senate Democrats joined with 18 Republicans to oust him as president pro tem. However, months later, Aragon regained some power by being elected Senate majority leader. In 2004, Aragon quit the Senate to become New Mexico Highlands University president under a four-year, $165,000-a-year contract. But his reign there was short and loaded with controversy. In 2006, the American Association of University Professors censured Highlands on grounds that two professors were improperly denied tenure. The Highlands Board of Regents regents stripped Aragon’s authority over a fund he used to pay for various items. After being put on paid leave, Aragon agreed to resign that year, but not before securing a $200,00 settlement for himself. Highlands also ended up paying more than $600,000 to settle three discrimination and wrongful-termination lawsuits against Aragon. He was indicted for the courthouse scheme the next year.
Minivan: DA doesn’t plan charges “I heard Officer DeTavis or Officer [Anthony] Luna menarea with her children while she tion something about a gun.” awaits her trial. She was initially Montoya wrote that when the set for a jury trial in 8th Judicial vehicle started driving away, District Judge Jeff McElory’s “I fired my duty weapon three courtroom in March, but the times at the left rear tire in case has since been passed to an attempt to immobilize the 8th District Judge John Patervehicle with the intention of noster. keeping vehicle in the remote Criminal justice professors area, so as to not put any other have criticized Montoya’s deci- human life in jeopardy.” sion to use his firearm, quesMontoya also wrote that tioning whether Farrell ever he chose to shoot at the tires posed any tangible threat to “because of all the people in officers or the public. the vehicle,” and that “I may The state police policy on use have exaggerated in keeping my of deadly force explicitly warns muzzle down so no innocent against firing at a moving vehiperson would get hit with the cle, stating that “decisions to shots I fired.” discharge a firearm at or from a Eighth Judicial District Attormoving vehicle … are prohibited ney Donald Gallegos has said he if they present an unreasonable didn’t plan to file any charges against the officers involved. risk to the officer or others.” “If I have evidence the officers Montoya has said in reports,
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committed a crime, I’ll charge them,” he said in a telephone interview. “I don’t have any evidence.” Montoya is the son of a minister and was profiled by The Taos News in 2010 for his work mentoring at-risk boys in a program started by the Taos-based social services organization Nonviolence Works. DeTavis wrote in a police report about the incident that Montoya “later bought the entire family McDonald’s during the booking process.” Alan Maestas, an attorney for Farrell, told The Taos News on Thursday that his client “hopes the officers involved have peace and we echo that as it pertains to officer Montoya and his family at this time.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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