Two more metro court defendants plead guilty

Only former state Senate president Manny Aragon and one other man are left to face a jury later this month in the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court scandal after two additional defendants pleaded guilty on Tuesday.

Sandra Mata Martinez and Raul Parra both admitted to the charges against them on Tuesday, the Albuquerque Journal is reporting. Martinez admitted to a felony charge of helping her husband cover up his illegal activity, while Parra admitted taking $3.3 million in taxpayer money by inflating and falsifying invoices during construction of the building, and to keeping $700,000 of that for himself.

Parra faces a maximum of 71 months in prison, the Journal reported. Martinez could face as much as 18 months in prison.

Their guilty pleas follow a Friday guilty plea from Martinez’s husband, Toby Martinez, who admitted to taking more than $2 million from taxpayers. The former administrator of the court could face 45 years in prison.

The project’s architect Marc Schiff, former Albuquerque Mayor Ken Schultz and the audiovisual subcontractor, Manuel Guara, entered into plea bargains months ago, before any indictments became public.

That leaves Aragon and former construction manager Michael Murphy scheduled for trial beginning Oct. 28. The recent guilty pleas could lead to a delay of the trial as defense attorneys shift strategies.

Prosecutors say the group stole $4.2 million during construction of the $83 million facility.