Former New Mexico judge and wife arrested on charges of tampering with evidence linked to suspected Tren de Aragua member

A erstwhile magistrate justice successful Doña Ana County, New Mexico, and his woman are accused of tampering with grounds linked to the apprehension of an undocumented migrant suspected of being a subordinate of the Venezuelan pack Tren de Aragua, according to 2 transgression complaints filed Friday.

Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Jose Luis Cano, besides known arsenic Joel Cano, is facing a national complaint of tampering with evidence, and his wife, Nancy Cano, was charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence, tribunal records show. CNN has reached retired to their lawyer for comment.

The migrant, Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, is simply a Venezuelan who was charged earlier this twelvemonth for unlawful possession of a firearm oregon ammunition, tribunal documents show.

Homeland Security Investigations launched an probe into Ortega-Lopez successful January aft receiving an anonymous extremity accusing him of surviving with different undocumented migrants astatine a location owned by Nancy and Jose Cano successful Las Cruces and carrying firearms, the complaints state.

US Attorney General Pamela Bondi told Fox News Friday authorities got a extremity the migrant had been surviving with the judge. “This is the past idiosyncratic we privation successful our country, nor volition we ever tolerate a justice oregon anyone other harboring them,” she said.

Ortega-Lopez had posted photos and videos connected Facebook showing him astatine what appears to beryllium a shooting scope successful Las Cruces and observed to beryllium holding handguns oregon assault-style rifles, according to the ailment against him.

Investigators said they identified tattoos, covering and manus gestures “commonly associated” with Tren de Aragua successful photos and videos posted online by Ortega-Lopez, saying this “provide(s) beardown grounds of Cristhian Ortega’s imaginable connection” to the gang, according to the transgression complaint.

Tren de Aragua is simply a transgression pack that originated successful a Venezuelan situation and present operates successful the United States. The pack has been linked to quality trafficking and different crimes targeting migrants, arsenic good arsenic wealth laundering, cause smuggling, kidnapping and extortion, according to the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

The erstwhile justice staunchly denied immoderate wrongdoing and maintained helium had nary anterior cognition of Ortega-Lopez’s alleged ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, oregon of the 2 different men who associated with him, and defended his determination to let the men to enactment connected his property, CNN affiliate KOAT reported, citing a 23-page missive antecedently submitted to the New Mexico Supreme Court.

“Let maine beryllium arsenic crystal wide arsenic possible,” Jose Luis Cano wrote, KOAT reported. “The precise archetypal clip I ever heard that (the men) could perchance person immoderate relation with Tren de Aragua was erstwhile I was informed of that by (the) agents connected the time of the raid.”

Two hunt warrants were executed connected February 28, with 1 determination being the Canos’ home, and Ortega-Lopez was yet arrested and charged, the complaints state. Investigators recovered 3 compartment phones belonging to Ortega-Lopez astatine the Canos’ home, portion 4 firearms were recovered astatine a abstracted residence that was besides searched, according to the complaints.

A telephone telephone Ortega-Lopez made astatine the clip of his apprehension made investigators judge helium mightiness person different compartment phone, the documents show. On April 22, investigators requested immoderate “recorded jailhouse calls, messages, videos, and deposits pertaining to Ortega.”

They discovered 2 video messages betwixt Nancy Cano and Ortega-Lopez, which showed a 4th telephone and the 2 discussing however to perchance delete Ortega-Lopez’s Facebook accounts, the ailment against Nancy Cano states.

This prompted investigators to execute a warrant astatine the Cano spot Thursday looking for different telephone owned by Ortega-Lopez, arsenic good arsenic a telephone owned by Nancy Cano, according to the complaint.

During the search, Jose Luis Cano agreed to talk with investigators and told them helium destroyed Ortega-Lopez’s telephone “by smashing it with a hammer and discard(ing) the remaining pieces successful the metropolis trash dumpster astir 5 weeks ago,” adding helium thought the telephone “contained photos oregon videos that would bespeak negatively” connected Ortega-Lopez, the ailment against him stated.

When questioned further, Jose Luis Cano said helium destroyed the telephone due to the fact that helium believed it contained photos of Ortega-Lopez holding firearms, the ailment stated.

CNN has reached retired to ICE and the US Attorney General’s Office for much accusation connected the case.

The arrests of Jose Luis and Nancy Cano travel aft the erstwhile justice resigned from his relation successful March, according to tribunal documents. On Tuesday, the New Mexico Supreme Court ordered Joel Cano ne'er to clasp oregon tally for a New Mexico judicial bureau successful the future, the documents stated.

CNN’s Hanna Park, Ray Sanchez and Rafael Romo contributed to this report.

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