Vigil-Giron Faces Arraignment on Friday

Update: Vigil-Giron waived her appearance at her arraignment on Friday. Her Attorney Robert Gorence entered a not guilty plea on her behalf and notified the court he was filing this motion to dismiss all charges against his client, because two state prosecutors are expected to be called as witness at a trial (as early as November).

Vigil-Giron has until September 11th to be booked at MDC and fingerprinted. She will remain free on her own recognizance.

Co-Defendent, Armando Gutierrez also remains free after pleading not guilty at his arraignment. He was allowed to return to Texas for Labor Day. He has until September 18th to turn himself in for booking and fingerprinting.

All the defendents were ordered not to have any contact with each other.

Former New Mexico Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron will be arraigned in State District Court today.

She, and three others, were indicted on 50 felony counts on August 19th.

Vigil-Giron, along with former lobbyists Elizabeth (Daisey) Kupfer, her husband Joseph Kupfer, and political consultant Armando Guiterrez are accused of fraud, money laundering, kickbacks, creating false public vouchers and tampering with evidence.

Those charges stem from unaccounted money originally awarded to the Secretary of State by the Federal Help America Vote Act. Those funds were then suppose to be allocated to voter education programs and to ensure disabled people could vote in the 2004 and 2006 elections.

The 10am arraignment is set for State District Judge Rozz Sanchez' courtroom. Judge Neil Candelaria has been recused and attorney's are looking for a new judge.


Photo: MG Bralley

Despite Serious Allegations Vigil-Giron Keeps State Job

After spending most of Thursday chasing down whether of not Rebecca Vigil-Giron would keep her job, despite being indicted on 50 felony counts, we finally heard from the New Mexcio Workforce Solutions agency. We've learned that she will remain employed, and be paid her annual salary of $61,500.

While Governor Bill Richardson says he’s trouble by allegations being made against Vigil-Giron, and believes she deserves her day in court, Vigil-Giron will be report to work daily. She's employed as a constituent liaison for the Labor and Industrial Division at the Workforce Solutions.

Cabinet secretary Ken Ortiz, who was promoted to the position today (replacing Betty Sparrow Doris), says while the allegations are serious they are “unrelated to her work for the agency” that issues unemployment checks.”

Ortiz says Ms. Vigil-Giron is expected to continue to fulfill her work duties and urged reporters not to call her at her workplace.

Republicans Respond to Corruption Indictments

770KKOB is still trying to determine Rebecca Vigil-Giron's employment status with the state's Workforce Solution's Department following her indictment on 50 Felony counts involving the accounting of $6 million in Help America Voter Act [HAVA] award money.

I spoke to Vigil-Giron on her cell phone just before lunch about her employment status. She told me she had just left her attorney's office and was directed not to talk to the press. She did ask us "to pray" for her.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the state's Republican Party, Harvey Yates Jr., isn't wasting any time responding to a state grand jury's indictment of former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron:

Unfortunately, yesterday's indictment of a Richardson-Denish administration political appointee and former elected Democrat official, along with more mainstays of the Democrat political machine, is this month’s reminder that this state is headed in the wrong direction.

Chairman Yates said political corruption in the state needs to be stopped:

The pattern of corrupt behavior and inept management exhibited by prominent Democrat public servants, while becoming routine, has got to stop. I congratulate the attorney general for joining the fight against corruption; it is not easy to take on one’s own party.

Vigil-Giron’s indictment is one of several scandals currently plaguing Democrat politicians. In addition to Manny Aragon’s departure to prison (June) and the indictments of PRC Commissioners Jerome Block Jr. and Jerome Block Sr. (April), other notable scandals including the indictment of Vincent "Smiley" Gallegos, a former lawmaker and regional housing director, and the convictions of former State Senate President Pro-tem Manny Aragon, Joe Ruiz, a Deputy Insurance Superintendent, and State Treasurers Michael Montoya and Robert Vigil.

Of course the state Republicans are running for cover with legal battles of their own. Democrats want to know if former U.S. Senator Pete Domenici and Congresswoman Heather Wilson interfered with or obstructed justice before the White House firing of Assistant U.S. Attorney David Iglesias and eight other prosecutors.

Chairman Yates statement concludes with:

Along with New Mexicans statewide, we look forward to the Democrats’ account of ‘every last nickel that was spent’ of voter education funding entrusted to the former secretary of state.

NM GOP Candidate for Governor, Dona Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez, also responded to the fraud, embezzlement and money laundering indictments:

[This is] a sad reminder that for too long public officials in New Mexico have used elected office to serve themselves as opposed to serving the public who entrusted them to lead our state. Corruption and misuse of taxpayer dollars and public funds are simply inexcusable and those responsible should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. As we move forward in examining the records of candidates seeking our state’s highest-elected office, it is critically important voters match rhetoric with action, and support someone who has a track record of identifying fraud and corruption and rooting it out. New Mexicans deserve to have faith and confidence that elected officials in state government are conducting themselves with integrity and honesty.

Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish, who is also running for Governor, has not issued a public statement, although she did talk to our blogging colleague Heath Haussamen.

Vigil-Giron, 3 Others Indicted

Photo Credit: MG Bralley

Updated: 7:30pm [Link to state indictments]


Attorney General Gary King today confirmed the filing of grand jury indictments against former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil Giron and three others, alleging the misuse of public money allocated to voter education from Federal Help America Voter's Act or HAVA grants.

“My government accountability team has been working on this for about two years,” King said. “We have been trying to point out that there was a lot of evidence. We feel that it has been well researched. We feel like we can support the evidence in court.”

Trip Jennings at the New Mexico Independent reports Lobbyists Joseph Kupfer and Elizabeth Kupfer, along with Armando Gutierrez, the president of the company the state hired to implement the federal Help America Vote Act, all face 50 counts, including fraud, embezzlement, money laundering and soliciting or receiving public kickbacks.

Only thirty minutes before the announcement of the indictments we personally spoke with Vigil-Giron at her office. She told us that she could "relate to what former Assistant U.S. Attorney General David Iglesias had went through." Vigil-Giron said, "My own party [Gary King] is attempting to destroy my reputation."

Vigil-Giron knew she was a target of the investigation and testified in front of the Bernalillo Grand jury on Tuesday. On Friday, the State Supreme Court ruled that those jurors must see evidence that defense attorney's say will exonerate their clients.

Vigil-Giron's issued this statement Wednesday morning, after personally testifying before the grand jury the day before:

I pray every day that my Lord and my God will forgive those individuals who so willingly, callously and wrongfully accuse me of unsubstantiated wrongdoing for the purpose of furthering their own personal and political ambitions. This witch-hunt must cease and desist. It has been going on since I left office almost three years ago and no wrong doing on my part has been uncovered.

Earlier in the day Vigil-Giron said that she “can account for every last nickel that was spent” and said all contracts over $200,000 were reviewed by officials in the attorney general’s office. She said she “relied on the Attorney General to always counsel me in the right direction legally.”


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