Balderas Has Evidence of Accomplices in Block Scam

Hector Balderas

NewsNM note - Spence - In Hector Balderas' appearance on News New Mexico Thursday morning he hinted that there was evidence that more people were involved in the credit card scam involving Jerome Block Jr. Now the story is being picked up by other sites including the Albuquerque Journal and Capitol Report New Mexico -  The Jerome Block Jr. story just won’t go away. Now, the state auditor’s office suspects others within the Public Regulation Commission worked in conjunction with Block to improperly use a PRC-issued gas card in Española and Santa Fe. The story first came to light by reporter Phil Parker of the Albuquerque Journal and has been picked up by the Associated Press. State auditor Hector Balderas told Parker, “I find it very likely other individuals have been involved in conspiring to defraud the state.”

Jerome Block Jr.

The reason for the suspicion? Because according to a report from the state auditor’s office, on at least five occasions Block Jr. was attending commission meetings when his gas card and personal identification number were being used elsewhere. For example, back in June the PRC was meeting in Clayton and according to the minutes of the hearing, Block was in attendance. But on that same day, a state gas card using Block’s PIN made four separate purchases in Española. According to the auditor’s report, since 2009 Block’s PIN was used to make charges on 18 different gas cards, 17 of which were assigned to vehicles used by PRC employees. PRC chief of staff Johnny Montoya told the Journal he thinks there is no evidence to suggest that anyone at the PRC besides Block was improperly using the gas card but he and his agency will cooperate fully with a complete audit of the department, which is scheduled next week by the private firm Atkinson and Co. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Balderas Has Evidence of Accomplices in Block Scam