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NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – The lawsuit against a former New Mexico cabinet secretary is underway. Demesia Padilla is accused of embezzling thousands of dollars while she was cabinet secretary. Former governor Susana Martinez appointed Padilla primarily as head of state finances. Oversee billions of dollars as a secretary of taxes and revenues.
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“The evidence, in this case, will show that the defendant, Demesia Padilla, used her position of trust to gain access to one of her clients, private clients, bank account information and then use that information to hijack it. ‘money “, said Peter Valencia, assistant. Attorney General.
Thirteenth Judicial District Judge Cindy Mercer did not allow any cameras during Tuesday’s trial, so the video is from previous hearings. It all started in 2015 when an anonymous letter was sent to then-auditor Tim Keller. The tipster also wrote that tax and revenue officials view Padilla as the most incompetent and least skilled secretary in recent history.
This sparked an investigation and the attorney general’s office later determined that Padilla had been committing crimes of theft and corruption for six years as the former tax and revenue secretary to the former governor, up to one month. before his resignation at the end of 2016. Padilla is now accused of embezzlement accused of theft. $ 25,000 from a grading and trucking company in Bernalillo, a company for which she did accounting work by making 40 transfers from their account to hers from December 2011 to January 2013.
As a secretary, she was no longer supposed to have personal clients. In court Tuesday, Padilla’s defense attorney said AG’s investigation was wrong. “Ladies and gentlemen, you are going to discover in the evidence, in this case, that not only was there no money stolen, but there is still money owed, still owed to this day, theoretically, to Jesse and Demesia, ”Paul said. Kennedy, defense lawyer.
Padilla also faces charges of using a computer with intent to embezzle funds. Governor Martinez backed Padilla for a year after the charges first appeared, calling them a publicity stunt. Padilla also faces charges in another case in which she tried to pressure tax and revenue employees to bury an audit of the trucking company to cover up the crime; This case is currently on appeal.
