New Mexico Attorney General Faces Fraud, Corruption Allegations Amid Power Company Merger
Civic and environmental groups accuse AG Hector Balderas of improper dealings with a lawyer and longtime friend.
Published
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas may have violated state fraud and anti-corruption laws by hiring the firm of an old law school friend to work on several lucrative cases for the state, according to a complaint filed with the state auditor in mid-July.
The five environmental and civic groups behind the complaint are asking State Auditor Brian Colón to investigate the potential violations as well as alleged “overbilling and duplicative billing” by a firm where Balderas’ longtime friend Marcus Rael is a partner. The attorney general is required to sign off on hires and billing.