U.S. Attorney David Iglesias to step down

U.S. Attorney David Iglesias, who oversees the New Mexico offices, will resign sometime in the next few months.

Iglesias, a Republican, has decided to step down after talking with officials in Washington, D.C., according to the Albuquerque Tribune. It’s normal for a U.S. attorney to finish out a president’s tenure, so Iglesias was expected to stay on until at least 2008.

His resignation apparently has to do with high-profile public corruption investigations. His office worked out plea bargains with former state Treasurer Michael Montoya and others in the treasurer scandal, but former Treasurer Robert Vigil was acquitted recently on 23 of 24 felony counts he faced.

Though he was acquitted of most charges, Vigil has a felony conviction on his record, is set to be sentenced later this month, and was forced to resign from office.

In addition, Iglesias’ office has been working for months on a second, high-profile public corruption case involving alleged kickbacks related to the construction of government buildings in Albuquerque. Former Sen. Manny Aragon and others are under investigation.

Indictments have been expected for months but delayed. They’re now expected in January or February.

Iglesias, 48, was appointed in 2001 by Bush. He was the first Hispanic U.S. attorney since the Nixon days, the Tribune reported.

Iglesias ran unsuccessfully for attorney general in 1998.

Iglesias has been considered a star of the Republican Party. He is young and ambitious. Don’t count him out yet.