BY: ABQ RAW staff
POSTED: 1/18/2024 @ 5:00PM
© 2024 ABQRAW All Rights Reserved – Please Request Permission Before Disseminating on Other Social Media Platforms.
Albuquerque-
Around 4:45 PM, we received an email from the Second Judicial District Attorney’s office, which said:
“On January 18, the District Attorney’s Office dismissed approximately 144 DWI cases.
We did this in reference to an ongoing federal investigation. Please refer any and all inquiries to the US Attorney’s Office.”
Earlier this morning, just around 8:30 AM, the FBI and US Attorney’s Office executed a raid on an Albuquerque Police Department Officer’s home. Federal agents were seen entering and exiting the residence, and the APD-marked unit parked in the driveway was towed from the property.
Later in the day, a comment from Tessa M. DuBerry, Secretary to the U.S. Attorney,
said:
“We can confirm federal law enforcement activity at that location, done with the full cooperation of the Albuquerque Police Department, and we will decline to comment further.”
Reportedly, this raid and investigation stem from an alleged kickback scheme involving numerous APD officers and defense attorneys. We know the names of the officers involved, but at this time, we are not releasing their names as they have not formally been charged.
APD civilian spokesman, Gilbert Gallegos, released a statement to the media just before 9PM:
“APD has been working with the FBI for the past several months on an investigation involving members of the department. Due to the sensitive nature of the investigation, some officers have been placed on administrative leave, and others will be temporarily reassigned within the department. APD leadership is working closely with the FBI to ensure a complete and thorough investigation can be completed.”
It will be interesting to see how closely APD was working with the FBI since many of the officers that are implicated were working with the DWI unit as of last week and had pending cases with New Mexico courts.
This is a developing story and we will have a separate story when formal indictments come in.