The office of New Mexico defense attorney Thomas Clear III was subject to an FBI raid last week. The raid, as reported by the Albuquerque Journal, forms part of an ongoing federal investigation into the prosecution of DWI cases. This wider investigation has already seen several police officers put on leave and over 150 DWI cases dismissed.
More precisely, out of the 152 DWI cases dismissed, 136 were filed by just three Albuquerque police officers, according to court records. This represented nearly 90% of the total cases dismissed. The majority of these cases (107 of them) were filed in 2023, accounting for 10% of APD’s DWI misdemeanor cases for the year.
District Attorney Sam Bregman responded negatively to the dismissals, labeling them “a gut punch.” He was, however, compelled by prosecutorial ethics to dismiss them. The same day as the office raid, the homes of at least three assistant public defenders were searched. All these developments are connected to the same, ongoing investigation.
APD spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos has said multiple police officers have been put on administrative leave while the FBI continues its investigations. He confirmed the APD has been cooperating with the FBI over the past several months on this investigation involving members of the department. As of now, there have been no charges filed or arrests made as part of this ongoing investigation.
For more detailed coverage, you can find the original story on Above The Law.