Salinas, police chief arrested on bribery charges

Police have filed new charges alleging that Sunland Park Mayor-elect Daniel Salinas handed out a city job to protect an ally on the council; meanwhile, state officials say they need 3-4 more weeks to complete an audit that could lead to state takeover of some city functions.

Sunland Park Mayor-elect Daniel Salinas and acting Police Chief Luis Monarez were charged with bribery Monday in a new public corruption case that’s separate but not unrelated to the ongoing extortion and voter-fraud scandals.

Meanwhile, Gov. Susana Martinez and State Auditor Hector Balderas held a news conference in Santa Fe on Monday to announce that Balderas’ special audit, which may allow the Martinez administration to take over some city functions, will take 3-4 more weeks. (Scroll down to watch the full news conference.)

Monarez was arrested Monday afternoon; NMPolitics.net confirmed this morning that Salinas was arrested sometime during the night. Both face fourth-degree felony charges of bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery and are being held at the Doña Ana County Detention Center on $50,000 cash-only bonds.

Salinas already faces extortion charges stemming from allegations that he and others attempted to get an opponent in the March 6 election to drop out of the race by making a video of him getting a lap-dance and threatening to release it publicly. Salinas won the race but hasn’t yet been sworn in because the conditions of his release from jail on those charges prohibited him from stepping foot in city hall.

Supporters took days to raise the cash to spring Salinas from jail that time. Whether they can or will do it again isn’t yet clear.

Details in the bribery case

In the new case, court record allege that Salinas, then the mayor pro tem in a city whose mayor wasn’t showing up to work, hired Monarez as acting police chief in January in exchange for Monarez ensuring that his sister, Veronica Monarez, didn’t run against Councilor Jessica Avila, a Salinas ally.

Much of information in the bribery case comes from City Manager Jaime Aguilera, a co-defendant with Salinas in the extortion case. According to the affidavit accompanying the arrest warrant for Monarez, Aguilera voluntarily spoke with law enforcement about the bribery case.

According to that affidavit, Monarez, who had been fired from his job as police chief on Dec. 15, 2009, wanted the job back. He initially told investigators he didn’t have to do anything in exchange for being rehired.

Like Luis Monarez, Veronica Monarez confirmed that a meeting took place at Village Inn in early January and that she was offered a job in the police department if she stayed out of the council race.

Veronica Monarez told police she planned to run on the ticket with Gerardo Hernandez, the mayoral candidate who was the alleged victim in the extortion case. She said Salinas, Aguilera and then-City Councilor Angelica Marquez, who is charged in the voter-fraud and extortion cases, attended the meeting.

Veronica Monarez agreed to the offer, according to the affidavit, because “she has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and she wanted to be a police officer more than a city representative.” She told investigators Salinas and her brother made no deal.

But Aguilera told a different story. According to the affidavit, he said Salinas wanted Avila to run unopposed because she was shy and not that interested in running for the position. So Aguilera and Salinas discussed what job they could give to Luis Monarez in the days leading up to the Jan. 10 filing date for candidates. They found an open captain’s position available at the police department.

Aguilera said Salinas set up the meeting at Village Inn and Salinas and Luis Monarez reached an agreement.

“It was obvious that Monarez was making the offer that his sister would not run if he got the job. Salinas was in agreement that he would get the job if his sister didn’t run… That issue was very clear before the meeting,” the affidavit quotes Aguilera as saying. “If she had signed up, I’m sure Salinas would have told me to scrap the contract (and that) he’s not going to get the job.”

Luis Monarez was hired Jan. 11 as a captain and also served as acting chief, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported. Veronica Monarez was never hired, and investigators told her she’s not a suspect in the case.

‘It’s a big mess down there’

Meanwhile, Balderas and Martinez announced Monday that the audit that could lead to state takeover of some city functions in Sunland Park will take 3-4 more weeks to complete. The Department of Finance and Administration can’t take over without a recommendation from Balderas, which must be backed up by an audit. You can watch the news conference in the video at right, courtesy of the Governor’s Office.

“I’m not going to mince my words,” Martinez said. “It’s a big mess down there.”

Both state officials appear to expect that the city is headed for partial takeover, but they explained Monday that they have to do it right. The state can only suspend certain officials and take over their jobs if the audit finds fraud or embezzlement, financial mismanagement that results in the violation of law, or willful violation of DFA regulations or other laws DFA is charged with enforcing, Martinez said.

“Neither the auditor nor I take the decision lightly to potentially suspend any public official or an administrator, and that’s why the law calls for such an audit… before that can be done,” Martinez said.

Both said city records are missing, and Balderas said the allegations his office is looking into include criminal activity and civil mismanagement. Potential problem areas include city purchases and payments to vendors, payments to city councilors, incorrect billings, use of money for travel, and expense allowances for officials on city business.

The backstory

Thus far 10 people have been charged in the Sunland Park bribery, voter-fraud and extortion cases, including nine current and former city officials. The investigation is ongoing.

The alleged crimes all revolve around Salinas. In the bribery case, the alleged aim was to protect one of his allies on the council. In the extortion case, the alleged goal was to knock out a mayoral opponent. And the alleged voter fraud was aimed at getting El Paso residents and others not qualified to vote in Sunland Park to cast illegal ballots for Salinas.

Salinas hasn’t been charged in the voter-fraud case.

State officials including Balderas and Secretary of State Dianna Duran have been working frantically alongside investigators to get to the bottom of things – and, thus far, every time they dig deeper they find more problems and investigators file more charges.

All who have been charged and had a chance to enter pleas have denied guilt. No one has been convicted.