I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
Gov. Bill Richardson granted executive clemency to 19 people to in his last days of office. Among the names was Edward M. Gilbert, a real estate magnate and the founder of Santa Fe company BKG. Conspicuously absent was Carlos Fierro, an attorney with ties to Richardson who committed vehicular homicide in 2008.
Richardson’s office had previously dragged its feet in releasing the clemency requests to the media.
Gilbert, a big campaign contributor to Richardson, has no convictions in New Mexico. However, he was convicted of embezzlement and stock manipulation in federal and New York state courts. Steve Terrell of the Santa Fe New Mexican has the explanation from Richardson’s office:
Gilbert Gallegos said Wednesday that Richardson’s clemency action only restores Eddie Gilbert’s citizen rights under state law. Asked whether that includes the right to vote — considering that federal offices like president and congressman are on the state ballot — Gallegos said he didn’t know.
A 2007 story from the New Mexico Business Weekly said Gilbert “landed in jail twice and did more than four years in Sing Sing and federal white collar prisons, but somehow has fought his way back to respectability and riches.”
Gilbert even temporarily fled the United States to Brazil to avoid jail before returning and facing the embezzlement charges.
Freelance reporter, and occasional contributor to The Independent, Peter St. Cyr reported that Richardson rejected 241 requests for clemency, including for the two inmates currently on death row. Robert Fry and Timothy Allen don’t face the prospect of clemency under Governor-elect Susana Martinez. Martinez has supported the idea of bringing back the death penalty. Richardson signed the repeal of the death penalty into law in March of 2009.
“Many of the 241 applications were rejected because they were incomplete or requested clemency for misdemeanor convictions,” St. Cyr wrote. “In his denial letters, Richardson wrote, ‘Unfortunately, a pardon to restore civil rights has no effect regarding conviction for misdemeanors, because a misdemeanor conviction does not negatively affect any of the civil liberties that a pardon restores.’”
Richardson said that he will not grant any other clemency requests — except for perhaps the clemency request of Billy the Kid, which he said he will decide on by tomorrow. Martinez will be sworn in on Saturday.
