A former New Mexico state senator has been found guilty on five counts in a corruption trial over accusations he used his position as a lawmaker to profit from the sale of a state-owned building.
A former New Mexico state senator was convicted Thursday on five counts in a corruption trial over accusations he used his position as a lawmaker to profit from the sale of a state-owned building.
Prosecutors accused Phil Griego of using his elected position and acumen as a real estate broker to guide the sale of the building in downtown Santa Fe through approvals by a state agency, the Legislature and a public buildings commission without properly disclosing his financial interest.
Griego, 69, resigned from the Legislature in 2015 at the close of a Senate ethics investigation.
He said he did nothing wrong in earning a $50,000 commission from buyers of the property.
Defense attorneys emphasized that many high-ranking state government officials backed the transaction — some with knowledge of Griego’s involvement.
Several lawmakers testified that they were left in the dark or mislead by Griego on the matter.
Prosecutors with the office of Democratic Attorney General Hector Balderas pursued Griego on six felony counts and two misdemeanors.
Jurors found Griego, a Democrat, guilty of violating ethical principles of public service, bribery and fraud against the state and unlawful interest in a public contract.
He was acquitted of three charges — defrauding business partner, perjury and violating financial disclosure act.
Griego is facing up to 17½ years of incarceration and sentencing will be scheduled in 90 days, according to prosecutors.
They said Griego helped spread misinformation in the Legislature to encourage the building’s sale by asserting that maintenance costs outweighed rental income, when lease documents assigned the cost of maintenance to those renting the property.
Griego’s case is the latest in a string of high-profile corruption cases involving public officials in New Mexico.
Republican Dianna Duran resigned as secretary of state in 2015 amid revelations she used campaign funds to fuel a gambling addiction. That led to her conviction on felony counts of embezzlement and money laundering.
In a separate case, Griego has been charged by a grand jury with multiple counts of perjury and embezzlement related to campaign finance reports that prosecutors say were falsified.
