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FBI Probe Reportedly Centers On Donation Program

An FBI investigation in which agents took documents from a Rio Arriba County Sheriff's Office under a search warrant reportedly centers on a sheriff's program under which citations could be dismissed in exchange for donations to charities.

The Albuquerque Journal (http://bit.ly/117hpp9 ) reports that the charities involved in the program include a scholarship fund managed by Sheriff Tommy Rodella.

County spokeswoman Erika Martinez says most county officials are in the dark about the investigation but she says FBI agents seem to investigating whether citations have been unlawfully dismissed.

Sheriff's spokesman Jake Arnold says Rodella won't comment, but Arnold denies that deputies dismissed tickets in exchange for donations to the scholarship fund.

Spokeswoman Elizabeth Martinez of the U.S. Attorney's Office wouldn't discuss the investigation and what the FBI agents were seeking.