New Mexico AG Pleased Duran Has Resigned - Associated Press
The latest developments on the resignation of New Mexico's secretary of state on October 23, 2015:
Friday 12 p.m.
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas says he's pleased former Secretary of State Dianna Duran has resigned and pleaded guilty to felony embezzlement.
Balderas said Friday in a statement that Duran's admission of guilt will allow New Mexico to move forward and help "rebuild the public trust."
Duran pleaded guilty to embezzlement and other charges amid allegations she siphoned off thousands of dollars from her election account and withdrew the money at casinos around the state.
Her plea agreement can be withdrawn if a judge imposes prison time later. Sentencing was set for mid-December.
Duran abruptly resigned late Thursday. Balderas filed the charges against her in August.
He says his office will continue to monitor similar cases.
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Friday 11:20 a.m.
A plea agreement says former Secretary of State Dianna Duran cannot enter any casinos and must undergo treatment for gambling addiction.
Duran pleaded guilty Friday to two felony embezzlement counts and four misdemeanors amid allegations she siphoned off thousands of dollars from her election account and withdrew the money at casinos around the state.
The agreement also calls for Duran to pay $14,000 in restitution to campaign donors.
Her guilty plea came just hours after the Republican abruptly resigned from office late Thursday.
Duran told reporters after the plea agreement hearing in Santa Fe that she never put taxpayers' money at risk.
Sentencing is set for Dec. 14. Duran can withdraw her agreement if a judge decides to impose prison time.
Friday 10:30 a.m.
A spokesman for New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez says she hopes to soon replace former Secretary of State Dianna Duran, who resigned abruptly amid a fraud investigation.
Martinez spokesman Chris Sanchez said Friday that Deputy Secretary of State Mary Quintana will serve as acting secretary of state until an appointment is made in the coming weeks.
A special election for the seat will happen in 2016.
Sanchez says the Republican governor will be accepting resumes and recommendations from the public, lawmakers, and other elected officials.
Duran, a Republican, pleaded guilty to embezzlement and other charges on Friday. She faces sentencing on Dec. 14.
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Friday 10 a.m.
New Mexico Secretary of State Dianna Duran has pleaded guilty to embezzlement and other charges amid allegations she siphoned off thousands of dollars from her election account and withdrew the money at casinos around the state.
Duran, who abruptly resigned late Thursday, entered a plea agreement Friday that can be withdrawn if a judge imposes prison time later. Sentencing was set for mid-December.
As secretary of state, the Republican was one of New Mexico's highest-ranking elected officials. She was in her second term.
Previously, Duran had pleaded not guilty to charges alleging she misused campaign donations by funneling some $13,000 into personal accounts and filed false campaign finance reports with her own office.
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Friday 9:30 a.m.
A state judge is reviewing a possible plea agreement in the fraud case against New Mexico Secretary of State Dianna Duran.
Duran, who abruptly resigned late Thursday, had her lawyer submit a plea deal Friday in response to allegations that she misused campaign donations by funneling some $13,000 into personal accounts and filed false campaign finance reports with her own office.
Prosecutors say bank statements show transactions at casinos, restaurants and cash withdrawals at ATMs.
Details of the agreement are not yet public.
As secretary of state, the Republican was one of New Mexico's highest-ranking elected officials. She was in her second term.
Before Friday's announcements, Duran had faced calls to resign and a pending impeachment from the New Mexico House.
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Friday 8:30 a.m.
Republican Party of New Mexico officials say they respect New Mexico Secretary of State Dianna Duran's decision to resign amid fraud allegations.
New Mexico GOP Chairman Debbie Maestas said Friday that the move will help restore credibility to the Secretary of State's Office.
Maestas says voters demand that elected officials be accountable to the law and Republicans advocate for accountability in government.
Duran resigned from office Friday amid a fraud investigation that alleges she siphoned off thousands of dollars from her election account and withdrew the money at casinos around the state.
Duran attorney Erlinda Johnson and Martinez spokesman Chris Sanchez said Duran's resignation was effective immediately
She had previously ignored calls to step down and was facing impeachment.
Duran, a Republican in her second term, ran on eliminating what she said was rampant voter fraud in the state.
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Friday 8:15 a.m.
New Mexico Secretary of State Dianna Duran has resigned from office amid a fraud investigation that alleges she siphoned off thousands of dollars from her election account and withdrew the money at casinos around the state.
Gov. Susana Martinez's spokesman Chris Sanchez said Friday that Duran's resignation was effective immediately.
As secretary of state, the Republican was one of New Mexico's highest-ranking elected officials. She was in her second term.
Duran has pleaded not guilty to charges alleging she misused campaign donations by funneling some $13,000 into personal accounts and filed false campaign finance reports with her own office.
The secretary of state's office is responsible for enforcing New Mexico's elections and campaign finance laws.
State legislators had launched an investigation that could have led to impeachment proceedings.
Road Rage Killing Shows Broken System - The Associated Press
The man charged with a road rage shooting that killed a 4-year-old girl was previously arrested in violent crimes but never prosecuted, showing what authorities say is another example of a broken criminal justice system in New Mexico.
Tony Torrez was suspected of aggravated battery, domestic violence and a violent incident involving a gun in two felony cases since 2010. Each time, the case was dropped.
Albuquerque Police Chief Gorden Eden says lax sentencing laws have led to what he describes as "turnstile justice" that endangers law enforcement officers and the public.
Local officials are calling on state lawmakers to enact reforms after the girl was killed and an officer was shot in the same week, unnerving many in New Mexico's largest city.
Flags Ordered At Half-Staff For Fallen New Mexico Major - The Associated Press
Gov. Susana Martinez has ordered that flags be flown at half-staff to honor a fallen Air Force major from New Mexico who was killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.
Martinez issued an executive order Friday that flags be at half-staff from sunrise to sunset Monday to honor and mourn the death of Phyllis Pelky.
The 45-year-old Pelky, of Rio Rancho, was of five people killed in the Oct. 11 crash in Kabul.
At the time of the crash, Pelky was working as the deputy manpower chief of the American Train, Advise and Assist Command in Kabul.
She was assigned to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Martinez's office says Pelky also previously served the New Mexico community by teaching humanities at Rio Rancho High School.
New Mexico Education Secretary OK's Albuquerque School Chief Buyout - The Associated Press
New Mexico Public Education Secretary Hanna Skandera has approved with "reluctance" a settlement agreement between Albuquerque Public Schools and ousted former Superintendent Luis Valentino.
Skandera wrote in a scathing letter to the district and Valentino's attorney that she had to approve the agreement so taxpayers could avoid costly legal fees from a possible lawsuit. She faulted the school board for "weak language and low standards" in superintendent contracts.
The board voted in August to accept Valentino's resignation after it became public he hired an administrator charged with child sex abuse in Colorado.
Skandera wrote that the board of Albuquerque Public Schools could have just fired Valentino for just cause.
Under the agreement, the district will pay Valentino $80,000.
He had been on the job for less than three months.