Prominent Defense Attorney’s Office Raided By The FBI

// The office of New Mexico defense attorney Thomas Clear III was raided last week by the FBI. As reported by the Albuquerque Journal, it was part of an ongoing federal investigation into the prosecution of DWI cases.

That investigation has also had other ramifications — several police officers were put on leave and 150+ DWI cases were dismissed.

googletag.cmd.push( function() { // Display ad. googletag.display( "div-id-for-top-300x250" ); });

Of the 152 pending DWI cases dismissed, 136, or nearly 90%, were filed by three Albuquerque police officers, according to court records. One officer was responsible for 67 of the cases; another had 41; and the third was listed as the arresting officer on 28.

The majority of the cases dismissed — 107 — were filed in 2023, making up 10% of APD’s DWI misdemeanor cases for the year. Eleven of the dismissed cases had been filed this year.

Sponsored The State Of Small Law Firms In An Era Of Change What are the most promising developments for gains in firm performance? From Thomson Reuters and Above the Law  

District Attorney Sam Bregman was not pleased about the dismissals, calling them “a gut punch,” but that “prosecutorial ethics require me to dismiss them.”

The same day, the homes of at least three assistant public defenders were also searched, all in connection with the same investigation.

googletag.cmd.push( function() { // Display ad. googletag.display( "div-id-for-middle-300x250" ); }); googletag.cmd.push( function() { // Display ad. googletag.display( "div-id-for-storycontent-440x100" ); }); googletag.cmd.push( function() { // Display ad. googletag.display( "div-id-for-in-story-youtube-1x1" ); });

APD spokesman Gilbert Gallegos has said “several” officers have been placed on paid administrative leave “while the investigation continues.”

He said APD had been working with the FBI “for the past several months on an investigation involving members of the department.”

There have been no charges filed or arrests made in connection with the ongoing investigation.

Sponsored Sponsored How 160 Legal Tech Decision-Makers Are Combating Cybersecurity Threats Do law firms recognize the gravity of the challenges they’re facing? From Arctic Wolf and Above The Law   Sponsored The Solo & Small Firm Compensation Report Is Here! More than 1,000 small firm lawyers provide a glimpse into their pay. From iManage and Above The Law   Sponsored How This Law Firm Converts 4x More Web Traffic Through Digital Transformation How making one simple change to their website, and no additional marketing spend drove 4x the number of qualified leads through their law firm’s website. From Lawbrokr   Sponsored How This Law Firm Converts 4x More Web Traffic Through Digital Transformation How making one simple change to their website, and no additional marketing spend drove 4x the number of qualified leads through their law firm’s website. From Lawbrokr  

Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].

googletag.cmd.push( function() { // Display ad. googletag.display( "div-id-for-bottom-300x250" ); }); Sponsored Sponsored The State Of Small Law Firms In An Era Of Change What are the most promising developments for gains in firm performance? From Thomson Reuters and Above the Law   Sponsored Introducing Lexis® Create – enhanced with Lexis+ AI The only fully integrated legal drafting solution. Lexis Create integrates Practical Guidance, Market Standards, Shepard's, AI-Powered Clause Intelligence, recommendations, and collaboration into drafting. From LexisNexis   Topics

FBI, Government, Public Corruption, Search Warrant