Ahhh… now it is all clear. There was a really good reason that Attorney General Patricia Madrid never investigated indicted Treasurers Vigil or Montoya. She was too busy learning from them to bring up charges:
Lawyers, some with firms that represent the state in lawsuits, were another major source of contributions to Madrid’s committee, which is separate from a campaign committee financing her bid for Wilson’s seat. Lawyers with a San Diego law firm contributed $95,500 to Justice for America. The individual contributions ranged from $500 to $18,500. The firm has a contract with the state for legal action over securities fraud and investment losses.
Apparently, she also learned an awful lot from Eric Serna during those years when she co-chaired Con Alma with him:
Among the top donors to the PAC were Stanley Fulton, owner of the Sunland Park racetrack and casino, who contributed $100,000 in August. That accounted for a fifth of the committee’s fund-raising during the past year. Fulton gave $25,000 to Madrid’s committee in January 2005.
And what did Mr. Fulton get in return? According to the New Mexico GOP:
Suspiciously, three months after Fulton’s 2005 donation, Madrid released an advisory letter to Fulton’s business rivals informing them that their proposed services agreement with Dona Ana County to open a competing casino was possibly illegal. It appears that in return for the $125,000 Fulton gave to Madrid’s committee, Madrid conveniently opposed a rival casino plan – a plan Stan Fulton had been fighting against tooth and nail.
I think they have laws against that. Can someone check with the Attorney General’s office? Maybe we’ll get to see Patricia Madrid announce an investigation, and wheel boxes of papers out of her own office to investigate. You know, another one of those conveniently long investigations.