Posted inBernalillo County, Courts, Justice & Safety, Local Gov.

BCSO arrests ‘Al Capone’ of retail theft

A man who sheriff’s deputies say was at the center of Albuquerque’s largest organized retail crime operation was arrested earlier this month.  Raul Fernando Garcia, 42 — dubbed the “Al Capone” of retail theft by the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office — was arrested on April 15. He is facing multiple charges including organized retail crime, […]

City investigated for undisclosed special ‘payouts’ to top officials who resigned

Exclusive in City Desk ABQ High-level city officials have been awarded thousands of dollars in extra compensation after announcing their resignations thanks to a special, and mostly unknown, leave program, City Desk ABQ has learned.  The most high-profile recipient of the “special leave” was Sarita Nair, Mayor Tim Keller’s top aide and the city’s chief […]

Posted inBernalillo County, Courts, Justice & Safety, Local Gov.

Lawsuit alleges woman overdosed in jail while guard watched YouTube, played games

The mother of a woman who died of a drug overdose at the Metropolitan Detention Center filed a lawsuit against Bernalillo County last week alleging a corrections officer failed to complete required checks and also broke the jail’s computer use policy by watching videos and playing games during his shift.  “This case is about MDC […]

Councilor eyes return of Berry-era homeless labor initiative

An idea born under former Albuquerque Mayor Richard J. Berry that provides day labor jobs for those experiencing homelessness could be making a comeback. “There’s a Better Way” was launched in 2015 and the initiative quickly gained national attention. After a year in operation, the Washington Post called it “a simple idea that works.”  The […]

Posted inBernalillo County, Courts, Justice & Safety, Local Gov.

Tax and Revenue Dept. warns of fraudulent delinquent tax letters

The New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department is warning taxpayers about fraudulent demand letters going out to property owners who are delinquent on their taxes. The letters tell the owners to call a 1-800 number by a certain date or the state will seize their property.  The letters are not from the state Taxation and […]