ALBUQUERQUE, NM---Today, Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that Francisco Saucedo was sentenced by Thirteenth Judicial District Court Judge Christopher Pérez to 30 years in prison, the maximum amount of time allowable, for distributing, manufacturing, and possessing child exploitation materials as well as committing sexual acts and voyuerism against his granddaughter. In 2017, investigators with the Office of the Attorney General became aware that Saucedo downloaded and copied numerous digital files of child exploitation materials, which included nude images of Saucedo’s seven-year-old granddaughter. Investigators employed the use of specially trained forensic interviewers to speak to the young girl, who bravely disclosed that Saucedo inappropriately touched her.
ALBUQUERQUE, NM---Today, Attorney General Hector Balderas issued the following statement regarding the passing of New Mexico State Representative Nick Salazar:
“I’m deeply saddened by the passing of Representative Nick Salazar, a friend and great leader who leaves a legacy of service that strengthened Northern New Mexico and many rural communities across the State.”
ALBUQUERQUE, NM---Today, Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that Donald Qualls was sentenced to three years in the New Mexico Department of Corrections for Possession Of Visual Medium Of Sexual Exploitation (Child Under 13). Qualls was apprehended as a result of an investigation into the online sharing of child exploitation materials by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force of the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General. The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Qualls’ residence, and Qualls admitted to downloading child exploitation materials. Images from 36 known child exploitation series, or sets of previously known child exploitation images, were found on his computer.
Santa Fe, NM---Today, AG Balderas announced that the New Mexico Supreme Court upheld multiple murder convictions where the Office of the Attorney General represented the State on appeal. In two seperate rulings, the Court upheld first-degree murder convictions of Muhammad Ameer and Bradley Scott Farrington.
Santa Fe, NM---Today, Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver and Attorney General Hector Balderas issued an advisory to all New Mexicans, reminding them of their right to participate in a free and fair election and providing critical information about the upcoming general election.
Santa Fe, NM–Today, Attorney General Hector Balderas announced his crackdown on abusive debt collectors. The announcement is part of a nationwide law enforcement and outreach initiative to protect consumers from phantom debt collection and abusive and threatening debt collection practices. New Mexico joins the Federal Trade Commission and more than 50 federal and state law enforcement partners in this effort. The initiative, called Operation Corrupt Collector, includes enforcement actions brought by the FTC, three federal partners, and partners from 16 different states against debt collectors engaged in these illegal practices.
Santa Fe, NM–Today, the New Mexico Identity Theft Coalition, under the leadership of the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General, and the Identity Theft Resource Center® (ITRC), a nationally recognized non-profit organization established to support victims of identity crime, announced that they will hold a phone bank as part of a nationwide effort to help victims of COVID-19 scams and identity crime. Anyone who has been the victim of a COVID-19 scam or identity theft can call in during this time for resources and direct assistance.
ALBUQUERQUE, NM---Today, Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General is launching an initiative focused on equity and access to justice concerns for minority communities in the natural resources and environmental protection arenas. The Office of the Attorney General has started by appointing an advisory council comprising representatives for marginalized communities who have historically been ignored in policy and decision making in these areas, and who bear disproportionately negative consequences from the state and federal policies that do not adequately protect their health, safety, and welfare. The council will engage a wide range of stakeholders from these communities and make recommendations to the Office of the Attorney General for direct engagement of state and federal agencies to address issues of racism and equity in natural resources and environmental policy.
Santa Fe, NM -- Attorney General Hector Balderas issued the following statement regarding the death of United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg:
“America has painfully lost a true champion for equal rights, a giant who as a lawyer shaped the law to protect those most vulnerable and as a jurist who ensured fairness and justice for all.”
ALBUQUERQUE, NM---Today, Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that Bernalillo County District Court Judge Daniel Gallegos sentenced Matthew O’Neill, to three years at the Department of Corrections for possessing and manufacturing child pornography. Prosecutors read the victims’ sentencing statements to the court which detailed how the continued propagation of the video and photographic depictions of them being sexually abused has impacted their lives and continues to haunt them.