Roberta Vigil and three others indicted today on public corruption charges are facing the possibility of long prison sentences related, in part, to allegations that they misspent public money secured with the help of Vigil’s lawmaker husband on an annual, invitation-only party.
Whether Rep. Richard Vigil, D-Ribera, is a target of the ongoing investigation is a question the attorney general’s office won’t answer, but spokesman Phil Sisneros said more indictments are possible.
“The ongoing investigation would preclude me from telling you who else is being investigated,” he said.
Roberta Vigil is charged with two counts each of conspiracy to commit fraud over $20,000, fraud over $20,000, misuse of public money, conspiracy to commit misuse of public money, prohibited sales by school board members, conspiracy to commit prohibited sales by school board members, and one count each of making or permitting false voucher, tampering with evidence, tampering with public records and a violation of the procurement code.
Joe Baca, a former superintendent of the West Las Vegas School District, and Ralph Garcia, a current school board member, are charged with one count each of fraud over $20,000 and conspiracy to commit fraud over $20,000, and two counts each of misusing public money, conspiracy to misuse public money, prohibited sales by school board members and conspiracy to commit prohibited sales by school board members.
Beverly Ortega, a former assistant to Roberta Vigil when she ran the district’s bilingual education program, faces one count of conspiracy to commit fraud over $20,000.
The most serious charge – fraud – is punishable by a maximum of nine years in prison for each count.
The indictments stem from the alleged misuse of federal Title III funds earmarked for bilingual education and state appropriations the district used for the party and other expenses.
The scandal was first revealed last year when the Albuquerque Journal reported that Roberta Vigil spent almost $10,000 in taxpayer money on a private, invitation-only party, held at night and featuring the Al Hurricane Band, which was billed as a workshop for employees of the bilingual education program. In addition, Richard Vigil got his wife more than $40,000 to buy furniture, a refrigerator, a big-screen television and other items for her office.
Most of those items were accounted for, but a 42-inch plasma screen television picked up from Sears by Richard Vigil had vanished.
Roberta Vigil was later demoted to an elementary school teacher. The state Public Education Department gave her notice on May 10 that it was considering suspending or revoking her license.
According to that notice, she also hired unqualified employees, falsified data and committed other misdeeds that amounted to “moral turpitude” and fraud.
King ‘intends to root out government corruption’
The attorney general worked with the education department and state police on the investigation. Sisneros said the attorney general “intends to root out government corruption wherever it leads him.”
This investigation has led him to the wife of an influential lawmaker who is a close ally of House Speaker Ben Lujan and a fellow Democrat. Richard Vigil, vice-chair of the House Education Committee, is also the brother of former state Treasurer Robert Vigil, who is serving time in federal prison for his role in the scandal that tarnished that office.
Sen. John Arthur Smith, D-Deming and chair of the Legislative Finance Committee, said the indictments can be viewed as evidence that the state appropriations system is working and abuses are caught. He also said he believes capital outlay requests should originate with local governments, not necessarily lawmakers, and that those governments have some responsibility in oversight.
Smith expressed confidence in King’s willingness to fight corruption.
“I have the utmost confidence in Gary King to do the right thing and I also think that he inherited a plate that should have been addressed earlier on. He’s willing to take on issues because it’s the right thing,” he said. “I don’t see Gary King backing off regardless of party affiliation.”
The documents
Read the indictment against Vigil by clicking here.
Read the indictment against Baca by clicking here.
Read the indictment against Garcia by clicking here.
Read the indictment against Ortega by clicking here.