Arturo Alba
Eight current and former city officials have been charged in the alleged extortion and voter-fraud schemes prosecutors say were aimed at helping Daniel Salinas be elected mayor; meanwhile, Salinas has still not been sworn in.
UPDATE, 10:55 a.m.: You can read the complaint against Alba here and the complaint against Marquez here.
Two more Sunland Park city officials were arrested and charged Monday in the alleged extortion plot aimed at getting an opponent of Daniel Salinas to drop out of last week’s election.
Angelica Marquez
In addition, the criminal complaints against former Sunland Park City Councilor Angelica Marquez and city spokesman Arturo Alba paint the most comprehensive picture yet of a wide-ranging extortion plot investigators allege involved several city officials. Those officials allegedly attempted to get Gerardo Hernandez to drop out of the race by making a video of him getting a lap-dance and threatening to release it publicly.
Hernandez lost last week’s race to Salinas but he plans to appeal, saying extortion and voter fraud tainted the election.
In the meantime, newly elected city councilors were sworn in Monday, but Mayor-elect Salinas, who faces extortion charges and whose terms of release from jail prohibit him from stepping foot in city hall, has not been sworn in.
Details of the alleged extortion plot
Alba and Marquez were arrested Tuesday and charged with fourth-degree felony counts of extortion and conspiracy to commit extortion for their alleged involvement in the plot to force Hernandez from the race. You can watch video of their arrests from KFOX-TV in El Paso.
Here are more details on the alleged extortion plot, from the Las Cruces Sun-News:
“The plot began in December 2011, when Salinas and some of his supporters held a meeting to talk about a fear that the priest from San Martin de Porras Catholic Church in Sunland Park was going to back Hernandez, politically, according to the records.
“At the session, Alba told the group he knew ‘a guy named ‘Pepe,’ who could ‘dig up dirt’’ on Hernandez, according to the arrest affidavit. The group decided to hire the man for $2,000 — an amount allegedly paid later by Salinas in cash.
“Pepe turned out to be Jose Reyes, a former freelance and investigative journalist for El Diario in El Paso, according to records.
“State police learned from confidential source that Reyes set up the filming of the lap-dance video and had it by late January, according to the records. Reyes then allegedly told Alba he wanted an additional $7,000 for the video, which was shown later to Alba, Salinas and City Manager Jaime Aguilera, who, too, has been charged on extortion counts.
“Reyes was given an extra $3,000 in cash and ‘promised a future web page creation contract from the city of Sunland Park’ worth $5,000, police alleged.”
Arrest documents detail efforts involving multiple city officials to arrange for someone to cross into the United States from Mexico to show Hernandez a photo from the lap-dance video and push him out of the race. Marquez allegedly picked up that individual at the Santa Teresa Port of Entry on Feb. 15 and dropped him off at a restaurant in El Paso.
Alba and Aguilera picked him up there and took him to a dollar store, where they “purchased a hat and sunglasses as a disguise,” the arrest documents state.
Then two others, who remain unknown, picked the individual up from the store and took him to Sunland Park City Hall, “where, ultimately, he approached Gerardo Hernandez with the extortion photograph.”
Thus far six current and former city officials have been charged in the extortion case. Marquez has also been charged in a separate but not unrelated voter-fraud case prosecutors say was aimed at illegally securing votes for Salinas. Two others have also been charged in that case.
Alba remains in custody. The others who have been arrested in the extortion and voter-fraud cases have bonded out. The only one still on the run is the city’s public works director, Jesus Dario Hernandez, who police have not been able to locate.
‘What passes for high ground in Sunland Park’
Salinas has said he’s going to try to get the terms of his release from jail amended so he can go to city hall, but District Attorney Amy Orlando opposes such a change, which only a judge could make. In the meantime, other officials were sworn in Monday.
According to the Sun-News, Monday was the last day for newly elected officials to be sworn in. But Salinas will file for an extension, the Sun-News quoted his attorney as saying. Bradley Sims of Las Cruces said Salinas has 10 days to file an affidavit explaining why he couldn’t be sworn in earlier.
The swearing-in ceremony had originally been scheduled for Friday, but the city delayed it after failing to provide notice of the meeting required by law.
Meanwhile, the Albuquerque Journal’s editorial board said this weekend that Salinas should quit while he’s “behind:”
“Like every American you are innocent until proven guilty, and your criminal case is where your priorities should lie. After a police raid on City Hall, a state audit and potential state takeover of city finances, and three separate investigations into the alleged extortion as well as voter registration and voting irregularities, Sunland Park is in desperate need of an injection of accountability. You are not the one to deliver it.
“In fact, your case has, amazingly, given Gerardo Hernandez — the lap dance guy — what passes for the high ground in Sunland Park. As he tries to find an attorney who will work for free to challenge your win, he can say with a straight face he’s doing it ‘for the interests of the community.’”
“And he’s the guy on tape nuzzling bare breasts.”
Gov. Susana Martinez, whose administration may soon decide whether to temporarily take over at least some city financial operations, called the scandal an embarrassment in an interview with KOB-TV in Albuquerque.
“New Mexico deserves better,” Martinez said, adding that her administration is willing to take over city finances if necessary.
That depends on the recommendation of auditors who are currently scrutinizing city finances. State Auditor Hector Balderas was quoted by KOB as saying his office has found that Sunland Park “has made little progress” and he will likely recommend that Martinez step in.