The New Mexico Court of Appeals vacated on Friday two felony convictions for embezzlement against a former secretary of the state Taxation and Revenue Department because a yearslong prosecution extended beyond the statute of limitations. Plus, New Mexico produced more than 53,000 tons of its most famous crop during the last growing season, meaning more chile peppers found their way into salsas and onto dinner plates than the previous year.
The New Mexico Court of Appeals vacated on Friday two felony convictions for embezzlement against a former secretary of the state Taxation and Revenue Department because a yearslong prosecution extended beyond the statute of limitations.
The appeal hinged on whether time was effectively paused on the statute of limitations during a change of court venue that delayed resolution of the case.
Former Taxation and Revenue Secretary Demesia Padilla talks to her attorney, Paul Kennedy, in this file photo during her July 2018 arraignment in Santa Fe. The state Court of Appeals