ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A lawyer in Albuquerque has admitted to his involvement in a significant corruption scheme that enabled individuals arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) to avoid convictions, according to a plea agreement made public on Wednesday.
Thomas Clear III confessed to orchestrating what federal entities have termed a “DWI Enterprise,” where his legal practice provided various gifts and substantial bribes to law enforcement officers in exchange for the dismissal of DUI cases. His plea follows a suspension from practicing law imposed by the New Mexico Supreme Court just a day earlier.
In addition to Clear, former Albuquerque police officer Neill Elsman also entered a guilty plea on the same day. Elsman was one of 12 officers temporarily placed on leave after the scandal was unveiled last year.
Clear’s charges include racketeering, bribery, and two counts related to extortion. On the other hand, Elsman pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe, along with two counts of attempted interference with commerce through extortion.
Additionally, Clear’s former paralegal, Ricardo Mendez, admitted to multiple federal charges last month that encompassed racketeering and bribery.
Albuquerque’s Police Chief Harold Medina stated on Wednesday that the police department collaborated with the FBI and federal prosecutors to bring the corruption to light. Medina indicated that the department is actively working to ensure that its officers are held responsible for their actions. He highlighted that aside from the three officers who have accepted plea deals, ten others have resigned from their positions as a consequence of the ongoing investigation.
“We will thoroughly investigate every facet of this case, even if it requires reviewing officers’ actions over the past 30 years,” Medina remarked. “We are discovering new details daily and expect to unveil further misconduct as our inquiry continues.”
In his plea agreement, Clear disclosed that he collaborated with several officers from the Albuquerque Police Department, the New Mexico State Police, and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office under this corrupt framework. Officers would be compensated or gifted to abstain from appearing in court as essential witnesses in DUI incidents, subsequently leading to the cases being dismissed.
He acknowledged that the enterprise evolved significantly over time, expanding as more local law enforcement officers began channeling cases to his firm, allowing them to benefit financially. Clear revealed that some officers took on the role of recruiting and training newer officers within the DWI unit to engage in the illicit scheme.
Clear further indicated that Mendez had received warnings about certain officers whom he should avoid, noting that some colleagues had a propensity to report any wrongdoing had they been aware of it. Nevertheless, he stated that the generational involvement within the DWI unit enabled the corrupt practices to become entrenched among nearly all officers in the unit over an extended duration.
