A former judge magistrate of the county of Doña Ana, in New Mexico, and his wife are accused of having falsified evidence linked to the arrest of a migrant undocumented suspected of being a member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, according to two criminal complaints filed on Friday.
The former judge magistrate of the county of Doña Ana, Jose Luis Cano, also known as Joel Cano, faces a federal accusation of falsification of evidence, and his wife, Nancy Cano, was accused of conspiracy in order to falsify evidence, according to the judicial archives. CNN contacted their lawyer to comment.
The migrant, Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, is a Venezuelan who was charged earlier this year for illegal possession of a firearm or ammunition, according to court documents.
Homeland Security Investigations launched an investigation into Ortega-Lopez in January after receiving an anonymous tip accusing him of living with other undocumented migrants in a house belonging to Nancy and Jose Cano in Las Cruces and by carrying firearms, complaints that complaints are.
US prosecutor Pamela Bondi told Fox News authorities on Friday had a tip that the migrant lived with the judge. “This is the last person we want in our country, and we will never tolerate a judge or someone else who hosts them,” she said.
Ortega-Lopez had published photos and videos on Facebook showing it to what seems to be a raw las shooting field and observed that handguns or assault-style rifles, according to the complaint against him.
Investigators said they had identified tattoos, clothing and hand-of-hand clothes and gestures “commonly associated” with Aragua in photos and videos published online by Ortega-Lopez, saying that “providing (s) of solid evidence of the potential connection of Cristhian Ortega” in the gang, according to the criminal complaint.
Aragua is a train A criminal gang This is from a Venezuelan prison and now operates in the United States. The gang was linked to the trafficking in human beings and other crimes targeting migrants, as well as money laundering, smuggling drugs, removal and extortion, according to the US department of the Treasury Foreign Active Control Office.
The former judge firmly denied any reprehensible act and argued that he had no prior knowledge of the alleged ties of Ortega-Lopez with the Gang Tren of Aragua, or of the two other men who associated him, and defended his decision to allow men to stay on his property, The affiliate of CNN Koat reported, citing a 23-page letter previously subject to the Supreme Court of New Mexico.
“Let me be as clear as possible,” said Jose Luis Cano, Koat reported. “The very first time I heard that (men) could have an association with Tren de Aragua, it was when I was informed of this by (the) agents on the day of the raid.”
Two search mandates were executed on February 28, one place being the home of the Canos, and Ortega-Lopez was finally arrested and charged, according to complaints. Investigators found three mobile phones belonging to Ortega-Lopez at the Canos' home, while four firearms were found in a separate residence which was also searched, according to complaints.
A telephone call that Ortega-Lopez made at the time of his arrest made believe that he could have another mobile phone, according to documents. On April 22, investigators asked for “recorded calls, messages, videos and deposits concerning Ortega”.
An image originally published by Cristhian Ortega on his Facebook page and published by the American district court of the district of the New Mexico shows a hand of ammunition. – American district court for the new mexical district
They discovered two video messages between Nancy Cano and Ortega-Lopez, which showed a fourth phone and both discussing how to potentially delete the Facebook accounts of Ortega-Lopez, the complaint against Nancy Cano States.
This prompted investigators to execute a mandate on Cano property Thursday looking for another phone belonging to Ortega-Lopez, as well as a telephone belonging to Nancy Cano, according to the complaint.
During the research, Jose Luis Cano agreed to speak with the investigators and told them that he had destroyed the phone of Ortega-Lopez “by breaking it with a hammer and throwing (ING) the remaining parts in the garbage dumpster of the city of the city of the city about five weeks ago” in Ortega-Lopez, the complaint against him, contained by him.
Asked later, Jose Luis Cano said he had destroyed the phone because he thought he contained photos of Ortega-Lopez holding firearms, said the complaint.
CNN contacted ICE and the Office of the American Attorney General for more information on the case.
The arrests of Jose Luis and Nancy Cano intervened after the former judge resigned from his role in March, according to court documents. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of New Mexico ordered Joel Cano to never hold or appear at a new-mexical judicial post in the future, the documents indicate.
Hanna Park of CNN, Ray Sanchez and Rafael Romo contributed to this report.
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