Former New Mexico Judge And Wife Charged In Migrant Gang Evidence Tampering Case

 

A former magistrate judge in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, and his wife are facing federal charges for allegedly tampering with evidence linked to the arrest of an undocumented migrant suspected of gang affiliation.

Jose Luis Cano, also known as Joel Cano, has been charged with tampering with evidence, while his wife, Nancy Cano, faces a conspiracy to tamper with evidence charge, according to court records filed Friday.

The case centers around Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, a Venezuelan national charged earlier this year with unlawful possession of a firearm or ammunition. Homeland Security Investigations began investigating Ortega-Lopez in January after receiving an anonymous tip that he was living at a property owned by Jose and Nancy Cano in Las Cruces and was allegedly carrying firearms.

U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi commented Friday, saying authorities had received information that Ortega-Lopez was living with the judge. "This is the last person we want in our country, nor will we ever tolerate a judge or anyone else harboring them," she said during a Fox News interview.

Investigators found that Ortega-Lopez had posted images and videos on Facebook that appeared to show him at a shooting range in Las Cruces, brandishing handguns and assault-style rifles. Officials noted that tattoos, clothing, and hand gestures in the photos were consistent with symbols linked to Tren de Aragua, a violent Venezuelan gang. According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, Tren de Aragua has been connected to crimes including human trafficking, money laundering, drug smuggling, kidnapping, and extortion.

Jose Luis Cano has maintained his innocence, stating he had no prior knowledge of Ortega-Lopez’s alleged gang ties or of any wrongdoing by the other men staying at his property. In a letter submitted to the New Mexico Supreme Court earlier this year, Cano stated, "The very first time I ever heard that (the men) could possibly have any association with Tren de Aragua was when I was informed of that by agents on the day of the raid."

Two search warrants were executed on February 28 — one at the Cano residence — resulting in Ortega-Lopez’s arrest. Authorities discovered three cell phones belonging to Ortega-Lopez at the Cano home and located four firearms at a separate address under investigation.

Further evidence emerged when investigators reviewed Ortega-Lopez's jail communications. On April 22, they uncovered video messages between Ortega-Lopez and Nancy Cano, discussing a fourth phone and the potential deletion of his Facebook accounts.

This discovery led to a second search warrant executed Thursday. During the search, Jose Luis Cano admitted to investigators that he had destroyed Ortega-Lopez’s phone by smashing it with a hammer and disposing of the pieces in a city trash dumpster about five weeks prior. Cano stated he destroyed the device because he believed it contained images of Ortega-Lopez with firearms, which he feared could be used against Ortega-Lopez.

Following these developments, the New Mexico Supreme Court barred Jose Luis Cano from ever holding or running for judicial office in the state. He had resigned from his magistrate position in March, shortly after the investigation began.

Authorities have not yet released further details on potential additional charges or forthcoming court dates.