Defense Lawyers Seek Dismissal of Corruption Charges

Gary King

Santa Fe- The day criminal charges were filed against former New Mexico Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron seems like a distant memory. Along with three other defendants, Vigil-Giron was charged with misusing millions of dollars in federal voter education funds nearly two years ago. For reasons still unclear, N.M. Attorney General Gary King has not managed to bring the case to trial. And according to a report in the Albuquerque Journal, lawyers for Vigil-Giron and the other defendants are now repeating their requests for all charges to be dismissed. Though there were reports last week that King finally appointed a prosecutor as ordered by the court, the defense team is claiming King did not designate the special prosecutor in time to meet the court's deadline.

Rebecca Vigil-Giron

Attorneys for co-defendants Joe Kupfer, Elizabeth Kupfer, and Armando Gutierrez are all asking for a dismissal of 50 criminal counts, that include both conspiracy and racketeering charges. King has come under fire in recent weeks, even in media outlets deeply sympathetic to Democrats, for what his critics describe as politically motivated foot-dragging in pursuing corruption convictions. The Vigil-Giron case has become the centerpiece for those criticisms as the timeline for justice proceedings on the case have been delayed repeatedly.

Defense Lawyers Seek Dismissal of Corruption Charges