A private investigator was the first to plead guilty to a host of federal charges that include racketeering and bribery in a corruption scandal that roiled New Mexico’s law enforcement community for over a decade, according to court records released Friday.

Ricardo Mendez took part in a yearslong scheme between a law firm he worked for that specialized in defending those charged with driving while intoxicated and the Albuquerque Police Department, New Mexico State Police and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. Mendez admitted that since 2008 he had been offering gifts and thousands of dollars in bribes to officers in exchange for having his clients’ cases dismissed.

Dubbed the Driving While Intoxicated Enterprise, the scheme would allow offenders who drove while intoxicated to get off scot-free, Mendez admitted.

Clients would pay Mendez or his associate an attorney retainer fee in cash, court records said. Then Mendez would pay officers in cash — $5,000 or more — or in the form of gifts or legal services to not appear in court as a necessary witness to the driving incident, resulting in the dismissal of the case, according to court records.

  • bobs_monkey@lemm.ee
    22·
    5 days ago

    Sounds like some Saul Goodman shit.

    On a serious note, I highly doubt this guy’s the only one running some kind of 1-800-NO-CUFFS type deal, where, for a hefty fee, they leverage their “law enforcement contacts” to get you out of fucking up. Let’s be real, bribery and corruption has been the name of the game for a long time.

    • GeeDubHayduke@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      10·
      5 days ago

      The was a bit of a scandal in NM a while ago over a judge that was issuing decisions to install breathalyzers in cars that hadn’t committed DWI. Turned out she was related by marriage to the owner of the breathalyzer installation company.