The wife of a state lawmaker and three others have been indicted on government corruption charges related to mismanagement of funds at the
Attorney General Gary King today filed grand jury indictments against Roberta Vigil, Ralph Garcia, Joe Baca and Beverly Ortega, according to a news release. The charges stem from alleged fraudulent spending of federal money along with state funds specifically appropriated for the school district’s bilingual education program.
“Transparency and honesty in government are vital components in the public’s trust of its leaders,” King said. “We believe today’s indictments are an important step toward restoring that confidence.”
Vigil, Garcia and Baca are charged with fraud, a second-degree felony punishable by up to nine years in prison; conspiracy, a third-degree felony punishable by up to three years in prison; and misuse of public money and prohibited sales by school board members, each a fourth-degree felony punishable by up to 18 months in prison. In addition, Vigil is charged with tampering with public records, a fourth-degree felony, and a misdemeanor procurement code violation.
Ortega is charged with one count of conspiracy.
Vigil is formerly the director of bilingual education for the district and is the wife of state Rep. Richard Vigil, D-Ribera. Garcia is a current school board member. Baca, until recently, was superintendent, and Ortega was an assistant to Vigil.
I’ll have a more in-depth story on this soon, so check back. I just wanted to get the immediate news out.