New Mexico Jury Verdicts, Settlements and Court Decisions
<h2> <center> United States of America v. Scott A. Spiro </h2> </center>
Albuquerque, New Mexico criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant, Scott A. Spiro, charged with wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1343. Between April 2020 and December 2021, Spiro, 64, devised and carried out a scheme to defraud the federal government and federally insured financial institutions by submitting fraudulent PPP and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications under... More...
$ (09-18-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> Sate of New Mexico v. Patrick Howard </h2 </center>
Las Cruces, New Mexico criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with inappropriately touched two students on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor (CSCM) in the third degree (person in a position of authority), contrary to NMSA 1978, Section 30-9-13(C)(2)(a) (2003), against one of the two students; and a single count of battery, a petty misdemeanor, contrary to NMSA 1... More...
$ (09-11-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> State of New Mexico v. Sheryl Williams Stapleton </h2> </center>
Albuquerque, New Mexico criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with grand larceny and embezzlement of public funds. Reported by: <a href="https://www.morelaw.com/vendors/vendor.asp?f=Kent&l=Morlan&i=28729&z=74119&s=OK" target="_new">Kent Morlan</a> Former state Representative Sheryl Williams Stapleton was accused of took money meant for Albuquerque Public School students... More...
$ (09-04-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Samantha Lee </h2> </center>
Albuquerque, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with arson in violation of 18 U.S.C. 844. Reported by <a href="https://www.morelaw.com/vendors/vendor.asp?f=Kent&l=Morlan&i=28729&z=74119&s=OK" target="_new">Kent Morlan</a> Samantha Lee, age 41, maliciously started several fires inside a storage warehouse on Menaul Boulevard NE in Albuquerque, New Mexico, th... More...
$ (08-29-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Max Jaramillo </h2> </center>
Albuquerque, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with embezzlement by an officer of a labor union in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1343. Reported by: <a href="https://www.morelaw.com/vendors/vendor.asp?f=Kent&l=Morlan&i=28729&z=74119&s=OK" target="_new">Kent Morlan</a> Max Jaramillo, 58, served as treasurer of the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, Local 331, fro... More...
$ (08-20-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> State of New Mexico v. Meta Platforms, Inc. </h2> </center>
Santa Fe, New Mexico: The Officer of the Attorney General of New Mexico sued Meta Payment Platforms, Inc. for wrongfully pushing content to underage users on Instagram and Facebook in violation of New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act. “Meta built products it knew would fuel addiction, deepen a youth mental health crisis, and expose children to sexual exploitation, then lied to parents and policy... More...
$ (08-08-2026 - NM)<h2> <.cemter> State of New Mexico v. Alexander Corvison </h2> </center>
Santa Fe, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represents the Defendant charged with kidnapping and battery.... More...
$ (08-04-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Willis Kylestewa </h2> </center>
Albuquerque, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with first degree murder in Indian Country. Reported by <a href="https://www.morelaw.com/vendors/vendor.asp?f=Kent&l=Morlan&i=28729&z=74119&s=OK" target="_new">Kent Morlan</a> On July 4, 2025, Willis Kylestewa, 42, an enrolled member of the Zuni Pueblo, drove while intoxicated with four passengers in a vehicl... More...
$ (08-03-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Jesus Manuel Salgueido </h2> </center>
Albuquerque, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with misdemeanor possession of cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. 844. Digested by <a href="https://www.morelaw.com/vendors/vendor.asp?f=Kent&l=Morlan&i=28729&z=74119&s=OK" target="_new">Kent Morlan</a> In 1987 the government charged Petitioner with misdemeanor possession of cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. ... More...
$ (08-03-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> State of New Mexico v. Tomas Rivas </h2> </center>
Las Cruces, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with three counts of first degree murder. Tomas Rivas charged in connection with the March 21 Young Park shooting on March 21, 2025 during an unsanctioned car meet.... More...
$ (07-31-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> State of New Mexico v. Bailey Zimmerman </h2> </center>
Albuquerque, New Mexico criminal defense lawyers represented the Defendant charged with malicious damage to property and trespassing for causing $16,000 in property damage to Sandia Resort & Casino in May, 2026.... More...
$ (06-23-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> Susan Ellen Gibson v. Sean Vincent Spinato </h2> </center>
Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico, family law lawyer represented the Petition in a divorce action. Reported by <a href="https://www.morelaw.com/vendors/vendor.asp?f=Kent&l=Morlan&i=28729&z=74119&s=OK" target="_new">Kent Morlan</a>... More...
$ (06-18-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Saul Gonzalez </h2> </center>
Las Cruces, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with interference with commerce by robbery in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1951. Reported by <a href="https://www.morelaw.com/vendors/vendor.asp?f=Kent&l=Morlan&i=28729&z=74119&s=OK" target="_new">Kent Morlan</a> on January 24, 2025, Saul Gonzalez, 36, stole several pairs of work gloves from a Lowe’s Home Improveme... More...
$ (06-18-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> State of New Mexico v. Josiah Watts and Xavrein Trotter Jr.
Albuquerque, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with first-degree murder. Reported by <a href="https://www.morelaw.com/vendors/vendor.asp?f=Kent&l=Morlan&i=28729&z=74119&s=OK" target="_new">Kent Morlan</a> Josiah Watts and Xavrein Trotter Jr., both age 19, accused of killing Enock Elumba, who was shot by Watts during an altercation.... More...
$ (06-17-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Rex Crofton </h2> </center>
Albuquerque, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represents the Defendant charged with damaging a local synagogue and Jewish community center. Reported by <a href="https://www.morelaw.com/vendors/vendor.asp?f=Kent&l=Morlan&i=28729&z=74119&s=OK" target="_new">Kent Morlan</a> Rex Crofton, 25, is accused of shattering the glass entry doors at Congregation Albert synagogue in Louisiana before go... More...
$ (06-12-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Seviano Kee </h2> </center>
Albuquerque, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with murder in Indian Country. Reported by: <a href="https://www.morelaw.com/vendors/vendor.asp?f=Kent&l=Morlan&i=28729&z=74119&s=OK" target="_new">Kent Morlan</a> On May 20, 2026, Seviano Kee, 18, and enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, stabbed John Doe with a kitchen knife during an argument, killing him. ... More...
$ (06-10-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Danial Adair, Daniel Nicolds, and Lary Micholds </h2> </center>
Albuquerque, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyers represent the Defendants charged with fraudulently obtain and sell New Mexico elk hunting tags to out of state hunters and conceal the proceeds from the IRS. from approximately 2019 through 2022, Danial Adair, 44, Daniel Nicolds, 57, and his brother Lary Nicolds, 59, allegedly operated a scheme through Big Horn Outfitters in which they fraudu... More...
$ (06-08-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> Estate of Nichelie Nichols v. Gila Medical Center </h2> <center>
Silver City, New Mexico, personal injury lawyer represented the Estate of Nichelle Nichols on a medical malpractice theory. Reported by <a href="https://www.morelaw.com/vendors/vendor.asp?f=Kent&l=Morlan&i=28729&z=74119&s=OK" target="_new">Kent Morlan</a> The Family and Estates of Nichelle Nichols sued the Gila Medical Center in Silver City, New Medical claiming she died as a result of havin... More...
$13000000 (06-06-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Claudiu Pesteleu </h2> </center>
Las Cruces, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyers represented the Defendant charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Reported by <a href="https://www.morelaw.com/vendors/vendor.asp?f=Kent&l=Morlan&i=28729&z=74119&s=OK" target="_new">Kent Morlan</a> Claudiu Pesteleu, 44, a Romanian national illegally present in the United States, admitted that from May 2023 through June 2024, he participa... More...
$ (06-03-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Timothy Begay </h2> </center>
Albuquerque, New Mexico, criminal Defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with second-degree murder in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1153. Reported by <a href="https://www.morelaw.com/vendors/vendor.asp?f=Kent&l=Morlan&i=28729&z=74119&s=OK" target="_new">Kent Morlan</a> On December 9, 2024, Timothy Begay, 39, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was driving drunk when he crossed the ce... More...
$ (05-29-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Miranda Cachini </h2> </center>
Albuquerque, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with involuntary manslaughter. By Kent Morlan Miranda Cachini, age 27, an enrolled member of the Zuni Pueblo, consumed alcoholic beverages and fell asleep while breastfeeding her 2-month-old daughter in bed. During the night, Cachini rolled over on top of the baby, causing her to pass away by asphyxiation. ... More...
$ (05-10-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Kevin Metcalf </h2> </center>
Albuquerque, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with illegally possessing a firearm after he shot a store employee during an attempted liquor theft at an Albuquerque business. On December 29, 2024, Kevin Metcalf, 37, entered El Rey Liquors in downtown Albuquerque and attempted to steal a bottle of alcohol. When a store employee intervened, Metcalf fled the sce... More...
$ (04-29-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> State of New Mexico v. Nadine Judith Gonzales </h2> </center>
Albuquerque, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer John McCall represented the Defendant charged with Shoplifting (Over $2,500 but not more than $20,000) and Conspiracy to Commit Shoplifting (Over $2500, Less than $20,000) 30-16-20 provides: A. Shoplifting consists of one or more of the following acts: (1) willfully taking possession of merchandise with the intention of converting it withou... More...
$ (04-28-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> State of New Mexico v. Yufang Bao and John Tunney Bao </h2> </center>
Albuquerque, New Mexico criminal defense lawyers represent the Defendants trafficking women for commercial sex. Yufang Bao and and John Tunney Bao owned and operated six massage parlors in Albuquerque where they allegedly engaged in sex trafficking.... More...
$ (04-27-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Zachary Babitz </h2> </center>
Albuquerque, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with interference with commerce by committing a series of armed robberies and carjackings across New Mexico in 2024 that culminated in the fatal shooting of a victim during a carjacking in Santa Fe County. Babitz, 40, committed a series of armed robberies, carjackings, and a fatal shooting across Bernalillo, Sant... More...
$ (04-17-2026 - nm)<h2> <center> State of New Mexico v. Nicholas Schmidt, a/k/a Nicholas Andrew Schmidt </h2> </center>
Albuquerque, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with child abuse and failure to report1 child abuse or neglect. Defendant and his spouse were charged with child abuse and failure to report child abuse or neglect. The State filed a motion that sought a ruling from the district court about whether the spousal privilege would apply to the text messages or if t... More...
$ (04-07-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Jose Ramirez </h2> </center>
Albuquerque, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with kidnapping. In 2018, just weeks after his release from prison for a felony firearm conviction stemming from a high-speed police chase, and while under court supervision and wearing a GPS ankle monitor, Jose Ramirez, 47, engineered a calculated and violent kidnapping-for-ransom scheme targeting his former emp... More...
$ (04-07-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Jose Ramirez </h2> </center>
Albuquerque, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with multiple charges, including conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping, conspiracy to carjack, carjacking, using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and extortion in December 2025.... More...
$ (04-01-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> State of New Mexico v. Meta Platforms, Inc. </h2> </center>
Santa Fe, New Mexico Attorney General's Office represented the States of New Mexico claiming that Meta failed to warn users about the dangers of its platform and protect children from sexual predators and willfully engaging in "unfair and deceptive" and "unconscionable" trade practices. New Mexico also claimed that Meta created a "breeding ground" for child predators on Facebook and Instagram. ... More...
$375000000 (03-25-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> Angel Salcdo, et al. v. City of Las Vegas, et al. </h2> </center>
Albuquerque, New Mexico, personal injury lawyer represented the Plaintiffs who sued on civil rights violation theories. During an hours-long standoff with law enforcement in Las Vegas, New Mexico, Alejandro Alirez shot his girlfriend, Cristal Cervantes, and her grandfather, Victor Cervantes, inside their home. Alirez livestreamed the encounter on Facebook for nearly 51 minutes. Cristal was a... More...
$ (03-17-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> State of New Mexico v. Brian Pori </h2> </center>
Grants, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represents the Defendant charged with bringing contraband into a prison. Albuquerque criminal defense lawyer Brian Pori, 64, was going to meet an inmate on Wednesday. While he was going through a security point at the prison’s visitor entrance, a correctional officer found suboxone strips in the inner lining of Pori’s eyeglass case.... More...
$ (03-14-2026 - NM)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Claudiu Pesteleu </h2> </center>
Las Cruces, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyers Gabriel Perez and Jessica Martin represented the Defendant charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Claudiu Pesteleu, age 44, a Romanian national illegally in the United States participated in a nationwide fraud scheme that used fake websites impersonating legitimate businesses to trick victims into wiring money for various consumer products... More...
$ (03-09-2026 - NM)State of New Mexico v. Francisco Solia
Bernalillo County, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represents the Defendant charged with being a felon in possession of firearms and road rage. Francisco Solis accused of threatening a man with a handgun and driving away in a white Ford F150. A search of the Defendant's home resulted in the seizure of: • A total of 17 magazines for various firearms • A total of 1,407 rounds of v... More...
$ (02-28-2026 - NM)State of New Mexico v. Jovan Martinez and Makaela Johnson
Santa Rosa, New Mexico Defendants accused of shooting at New Mexico State Trooper. Criminal defense lawyer represent the Defendants to shot at NMSP officer who tried to stop Jovan Martinez and Makaela Johnson on US Highway 285, south of Vaughn.... More...
$ (02-26-2026 - NM)State of New Mexico v. . Albert Rival
Albuquerque, New Mexico criminal defense lawyer represents the Defendant who brandished a fire arm. Albert Rival, 65, was a member at the North Valley Senior Center, but staff had to call the police, saying he took things too far.... More...
$ (02-22-2026 - NM)United States of America v. Edison Brady
Albuquerque, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with econd-degree murder for fatally stabbing a man during an assault on the Navajo Nation. On July 25, 2024, officers with the Navajo Nation Police Department responded to fight in progress near a defunct business in Shiprock, New Mexico. Upon arrival, they found John Doe lying on the ground with wounds to his f... More...
$ (02-19-2026 - NM)<center? State of New Mexico v. Joseph Montoya </centr>
Albuquerque, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represents the Defendant charged with burglary. Joseph Montoya was shot while burglarizing the business for a second time.... More...
$ (02-17-2026 - NM)United States of America v. Richard Sepulveda
Las Cruces, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with using Molotov cocktails to ignite multiple fires at an apartment complex. on January 12, 2026, Las Cruces Fire Department responded to a reported fire at the Villa Del Telshor Apartments in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Fire investigators determined the fire originated in a second-floor apartment and was intentiona... More...
$ (02-10-2026 - NM)United States of America v. Robert Haack
Albuquerque, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with wire and mail fraud. Robert Haack, 59, carried out a years long scheme to defraud collectors by selling counterfeit jewelry falsely represented as authentic works by renowned Hopi artist Charles Loloma. The evidence established that between approximately 2008 and 2015, Haack manufactured dozens of fake Lo... More...
$ (01-29-2026 - NM)United States of America v. Adrian Cheama
Albuquerque, New Mexico, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury. On June 16, 2025, Adrian Cheama, 37, an enrolled member of the Zuni Pueblo, stabbed an unarmed man in the abdomen with a sharp metal object without apparent provocation, then disposed of the weapon, preventing law enforcement from rec... More...
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