2 Albuquerque Men Accused Of ID Theft And Debit Card Fraud - The Associated Press
New Mexico State Police say two Albuquerque men are in custody for alleged identity theft and debit card fraud at casinos.
Police announced Friday that both 36-year-old Chris A. Garcia and 36-year-old James Rogers have been booked into jail.
Agents with the State Police's Investigations Bureau in Albuquerque looked into a large amount of fraudulent debit card transactions that occurred at several casinos.
The investigation took several weeks to complete and revealed there were at least 35 victims whose debit card account information was fraudulently used.
State Police say about $58,000 in cash was fraudulently obtained at numerous casinos in Bernalillo, Sandoval and Cibola counties by the two suspects.
It was unclear Friday if either Garcia or Rogers have lawyers for their cases.
Corrections Officer At Grants Jail Accused Of Sexual Assault - The Associated Press
A corrections officer in Grants has been indicted for the alleged sexual assault of a female jail inmate in January.
New Mexico State Police announced Friday that a Cibola County grand jury indicted Lt. David Sanchez on charges of kidnapping, criminal sexual penetration, criminal sexual contact and tampering with evidence.
State Police obtained an arrest warrant for Sanchez on Jan. 23 and he voluntarily surrendered.
They say the alleged sexual assault occurred Jan. 3 at the Cibola County Detention Center.
Sanchez is accused of escorting the victim from her cell into his office and allegedly sexually assaulted her.
It's unclear if Sanchez has a lawyer for his case.
Secretary Of State Says Criminal Case Won't Affect Her Job - The Associated Press
New Mexico's secretary of state is assuring state residents that her office can fairly enforce campaign finance laws despite the fraud, embezzlement and other criminal charges pending against her.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports Duran has pleaded not guilty to 64 charges relating to allegations that she funneled campaign donations into personal banking accounts and falsified campaign finance reports.
In the wake of the allegations against Duran, three legislators are accused of having irregularities in their campaign finance statements. The complaints brought by the legislators' political opponents are being reviewed by Duran's office.
While Duran says her office can handle the cases appropriately, Common Cause New Mexico spokeswoman Heather Ferguson says the public will still be skeptical.