In the latest guilty plea, a local defense attorney says he had been bribing cops to make DWI cases disappear “since at least the late 1990s.”
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ThomasClear,thedefenseattorneyatthecenterofAlbuquerque’spolicecorruptionscandal,pleadedguiltythisweektofederalbribery,extortion,andracketeeringcharges.Clear’spleaagreementindicatesthathislong-runningarrangementwithlocalpoliceofficers,whotookbribesinexchangeformakingDWIcasesdisappear,goesbackfurtherandinvolvesmorepeoplethanwaspreviouslyreported.
RicardoMendez,aninvestigatorandparalegalwhobeganworkingforClearin2007,pleadedguiltytosimilarchargeslastmonth.Atthatpoint,federalprosecutorssaidthebriberyscheme,whichtheycallthe“DWIEnterprise,”hadbegunby2008.ButClearsayshehadbeenrunningtheracket“sinceatleastthelate1990s,”meaningitoperatedforatleasttwodozenyearsbeforeanFBIinvestigationshutitdowninJanuary2024.
SinceClearalsosaystheschemeeventuallyencompassed“almosttheentire”AlbuquerquePoliceDepartment(APD)unitchargedw
