Ex-New Mexico judge, wife tried to hide evidence of illegal alien gangbanger, DOJ prosecutors say

A former New Mexico judge and his wife allegedly tried to hide incriminating images and videos of an illegal immigrant presumed to be a member of Venezuela s notorious Tren de Aragua gang and harbored other asylum seekers the Justice Department reported Friday Former Do a Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his wife Nancy Cano were arrested Thursday after federal agents raided their Las Cruces home The pair face charges of evidence tampering amid statements they harbored Cristhian Ortega-Lopez Judges are responsible for upholding our country s laws It is beyond egregious for a former judge and his wife to engage in evidence tampering on behalf of a suspected Tren de Aragua gang member accused of illegally possessing firearms disclosed U S Attorney Ryan Ellison The U S Attorney s Office is committed to dismantling this foreign terrorist organization by disrupting its criminal operations in New Mexico That starts by prosecuting those who help gang members including judges EX-NEW MEXICO JUDGE WIFE ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY HARBORING ILLEGAL TREN DE ARAGUA MEMBEROrtega-Lopez was put on the Department of Homeland Security's DHS radar after a tipster reported he was in the U S illegally and had guns He initially entered the country Dec near Eagle Pass Texas He was taken into custody and circulated due to overcrowding at the U S Confines Patrol facility Ortega-Lopez apparently posted multiple images and videos on social media showing him with other illegal immigrants handling guns at a shooting range in Las Cruces federal prosecutors declared Among the weapons were a SIG Sauer P pistol an AR- rifle equipped with a suppressor and other high-powered guns and ammunition NEW MEXICO JUDGE RESIGNS AFTER ALLEGED TDA MEMBER ARRESTED AT HIS HOMEHis social media activity revealed content suggesting ties with the Venezuelan gang including gang-related tattoos hand gestures and clothing prosecutors disclosed He also mocked a reward to catch TdA members Attorney General Pam Bondi noted Among the images were also two people who were decapitated she stated In January federal agents received a tip that Ortega-Lopez was living with other illegal immigrants on a property belonging to Cano who was still a judge at the time and his wife Government seized four guns during a Feb search of the property The four guns along with three cellphones belonging to Ortega-Lopez were seized and he was arrested During the search Ortega-Lopez was allowed to make a phone call before being taken to the Do a Ana County Detention Center DACDC He notified the agents that the phone he demanded to use was not among the devices recovered Video calls from DACDC later established Nancy Cano holding a black iPhone considered to be Ortega s fourth phone prosecutors disclosed During a March call with Ortega-Lopez Nancy Cano allegedly used the device to contact someone named Michelle via WhatsApp before facilitating a FaceTime call between Michelle and Ortega-Lopez using her personal phone In an April call Nancy Cano and Ortega-Lopez discussed deleting his Facebook account which he allegedly used to share incriminating content including gang affiliations and images with guns On April federal agents searched the Cano home to locate Ortega-Lopez's missing phone During questioning Joel Cano admitted smashing the device with a hammer five weeks earlier because he maintained it contained incriminating photos and videos of Ortega-Lopez with guns and throwing it into a dumpster announced Bondi A forensic analysis of the recovered phones revealed messages linked to Ortega s alleged criminal pursuits including links with the TdA gang and images of him with guns agents declared Joel and Nancy Cano face up to years in prison FBI ARRESTS WISCONSIN JUDGE ALLEGING SHE OBSTRUCTED ARREST OF ILLEGAL ALIEN The rule of law is very simple It doesn't matter what line of work you're in If you break the law we will follow the facts and we will prosecute you Bondi disclosed in a video message Friday Another judge arrested for allegedly interfering in the arrest of an illegal immigrant in Wisconsin also faces federal charges Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan allegedly confronted federal agents inside a courthouse April and ordered them to leave as they were trying to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz a Mexican citizen who was previously deported and not long ago charged with multiple counts of domestic abuse-related battery Flores-Ruiz allegedly punched a man times and struck a woman Bondi stated Both casualties were in court when Dugan learned that ICE was outside to arrest him After being made aware of a valid immigration arrest warrant Judge Dugan recounted agents that they needed a judicial warrant and demanded that they go to the Chief Judge s office the Justice Department noted in a news release Friday Once the agents were no longer in the vicinity of her courtroom Judge Dugan allegedly elected not to conduct a hearing on Flores-Ruiz s criminal scenario despite the fact that casualties of his offense were present and instead personally escorted Flores-Ruiz and his attorney through a restricted jury door exit not typically used by defendants or attorneys The doorway led to a nonpublic hallway which Flores-Ruiz and his attorney used to leave Dugan's courtroom prosecutors reported He was eventually arrested outside the courthouse after a brief foot chase Dugan is charged with obstruction of proceedings before a department or agency of the United States and concealing a person to prevent arrest She faces up to six years in prison CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPFlores-Ruiz was previously deported in and reentered the U S illegally executives revealed Sanctuary jurisdictions that shield criminal aliens endanger American communities explained Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche This Justice Department will not stand by as local agents put politics over community safety Reckless sanctuary city policies create a sanctuary for one class criminals Those 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