A earlier New Mexico court docket and his partner presumably tried to hide incriminating images and video clips of an unlawful alien considered a participant of Venezuela’s notorious Tren de Aragua gang and nurtured numerous different vacationers, the Justice Department claimed Friday.
Former Do ña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano, 68, and his partner, Nancy Cano, 67, have been apprehended Thursday after authorities representatives invaded their Las Cruces residence. The set face prices of proof meddling amidst accusations they nurtured Cristhian Ortega-Lopez
“Judges are responsible for upholding our country’s laws. It is beyond egregious for a former judge and his wife to engage in evidence tampering on behalf of a suspected Tren de Aragua gang member accused of illegally possessing firearms,” claimed united stateAttorney Ryan Ellison
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to dismantling this foreign terrorist organization by disrupting its criminal operations in New Mexico. That starts by prosecuting those who support gang members — including judges.”
EX-NEW MEXICO COURT, BETTER HALF ARRESTED FOR PURPORTEDLY NURTURING PROHIBITED TREN DE ARAGUA PARTICIPANT
An HSI consultant companions earlier Do ña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano out of his residence Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Courtesy of K14)
Ortega-Lopez was positioned on the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) radar after an informant claimed he remained within the united state unlawfully and had weapons. He initially went into the nationDec 15, 2023, close to Eagle Pass,Texas He was nabbed and launched due to congestion on the united state Border Patrol heart.
Ortega-Lopez evidently uploaded quite a few images and video clips on social networks revealing him with numerous different unlawful aliens managing weapons at a capturing selection in Las Cruces, authorities district attorneys claimed. Among the instruments have been a SIG Sauer P365 handgun, an AR-15 rifle equipped with a suppressor and numerous different high-powered weapons and ammo.
BRAND-NEW MEXICO COURT SURRENDERS AFTER ALLEGED TDA PARTICIPANT ARRESTED AT HIS HOME
His social networks job uncovered materials recommending connections with the Venezuelan gang, consisting of gang-related tattoos, hand motions and attire, district attorneys claimed. He moreover buffooned a $5,000 incentive to seize TdA members, Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed.
Among the images have been moreover 2 people that have been guillotined, she claimed.
In January, authorities representatives obtained a suggestion that Ortega-Lopez was coping with numerous different unlawful aliens on a constructing coming from Cano, that was nonetheless a court docket on the time, and his partner.
Authorities confiscated 4 weapons all through aFeb 28 search of the residential or business property.
Former Do ña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano, 68, and his partner, Nancy Cano, 67, are implicated of harboring Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, an unlawful alien and supposed participant of Venezuela’s notorious Tren de Aragua gang. ( UNITED STATE District Court for the District of New Mexico; UNITED STATE Immigration and Customs Enforcement )
The 4 weapons, along with 3 mobile telephones coming from Ortega-Lopez, have been taken, and he was apprehended. During the search, Ortega-Lopez was permitted to make a name previous to being required to the Do ña Ana County Detention Center (DACDC).
He knowledgeable the representatives that the cellphone he wished to make the most of was not amongst the instruments recuperated. Video calls from DACDC in a while revealed Nancy Cano holding a black apple iphone considered Ortega’s 4th cellphone, district attorneys claimed.
During a March 7 cellphone name with Ortega-Lopez, Nancy Cano presumably utilized the instrument to name an individual referred to as “Michelle” via WhatsApp, previous to serving to with a FaceTime cellphone name in between Michelle and Ortega-Lopez using her particular person cellphone.
In an April 20 cellphone name, Nancy Cano and Ortega-Lopez gone over eradicating his Facebook account, which he presumably utilized to share incriminating net content material, consisting of gang associations and images with weapons.
Former Do ña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano, 68, and his partner, Nancy Cano, 67, presumably nurtured Cristhian Ortega-Lopez ( UNITED STATE District Court for the District of New Mexico)
On April 24, authorities representatives browsed the Cano residence to search out Ortega-Lopez’s lacking out on cellphone. During inspecting, Joel Cano confessed shattering the instrument with a hammer 5 weeks beforehand on account of the truth that he thought it included incriminating photos and video clips of Ortega-Lopez with weapons, and tossing it proper right into a dumpster, claimedBondi
A forensic analysis of the recuperated telephones uncovered messages linked to Ortega’s declared felony duties, consisting of relate to the TdA gang and footage of him with weapons, authorities claimed.
Joel and Nancy Cano confront 15 years behind bars.
FBI APPREHENSIONS WISCONSIN COURT, DECLARING SHE OBSTRUCTED APPREHENSION OF ILLEGAL ALIEN
“The rule of law is very simple: It doesn’t matter what line of work you’re in. If you break the law, we will follow the facts, and we will prosecute you,” Bondi claimed in a video clip message Friday.
Another court docket apprehended for presumably conflicting within the apprehension of an unlawful alien in Wisconsin moreover offers with authorities prices. Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan, 65, presumably challenged authorities representatives inside a court docket home April 18 and acquired them to depart as they have been making an attempt to jail Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican resident that was previously deported and recently billed with quite a few issues of residential abuse-related battery.
Flores-Ruiz presumably punched a man 30 occasions and struck a woman, Bondi claimed. Both targets remained in court docket when Dugan found that ICE was outside to jail him.
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan being apprehendedFriday (Obtained by Fox News)
“After being made aware of a valid immigration arrest warrant, Judge Dugan told agents that they needed a judicial warrant and demanded that they go to the Chief Judge’s office, the Justice Department said in a news release Friday. “Once the representatives were no more at her court, Judge Dugan presumably chose not to perform a hearing on Flores-Ruiz’s criminal instance although that targets of his violation existed and rather directly accompanied Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer via a limited ‘jury door’ departure not normally utilized by accuseds or lawyers.”
The doorway led to a nonpublic hallway, which Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer used to depart Dugan’s courtroom, prosecutors stated. He was ultimately arrested outdoors the courthouse after a short foot chase.
Dugan is charged with obstruction of proceedings earlier than a division or company of the United States and concealing an individual to forestall arrest. She faces as much as six years in jail.
Mexican nationwide Eduardo Flores-Ruiz is an unlawful immigrant who Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan is accused of serving to evade arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement brokers. (DHS/Milwaukee Independent through AP)
Flores-Ruiz was beforehand deported in 2013 and reentered the U.S. illegally, authorities stated.
“Sanctuary territories that protect criminal aliens jeopardize American neighborhoods,” stated Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “This Justice Department will certainly not wait as neighborhood authorities placed national politics over public security. Reckless haven city plans produce a refuge for one course– wrongdoers. Those days more than.”
