Report details allegations against Murphy

[WestVirginiaRebel]

nmpolitics.net:

Third Judicial District Judge Mike Murphy allegedly said he gave $4,000 to get appointed to the bench by then-Gov. Bill Richardson in 2006, and told several people that other judicial appointees had to give money as well.

That’s according witness statements detailed in an incident report about the bribery case against Murphy. Ninth Judicial District Attorney Matt Chandler, the special prosecutor in the case, released the report and the grand jury indictment of Murphy today in response to a records request from NMPolitics.net. It’s the first time the facts of the case have been made public.

Read the report and indictment here.

The report details efforts by Third Judicial District Judge Lisa Schultz to work within the judicial system for two years to stop what she apparently believed was a pay-to-play scheme that went all the way to Richardson, and Schultz’s reporting of the situation to then-District Attorney Susana Martinez in 2009 after concluding that nothing was being done.

The report also raises the possibility that other judges, including Third Judicial District Judge Jim T. Martin, were involved in the alleged scheme that has led to felony charges against Murphy.

No one but Murphy has been charged in the case or received notice that a grand jury will consider indicting them. Chandler has declined to comment on whether others might be targeted.

But the report raises questions about the involvement of others including Richardson, Martin and longtime Democratic political insider Edgar Lopez. And it indicates that the investigation is ongoing.
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$4,000? Sounds kind of cheap-but then so is Richardson...