Posted on 04/13/2006 10:28:50 AM PDT by CedarDave
An informant has come forward claiming more than one state motor vehicle worker was helping Michael Paul Astorga elude police after he was named as a suspect in the death of a man last year.
Lorraine Martinez, an MVD worker, has been charged in connection with helping her nephew elude capture. Martinez, a supervisor at a Motor Vehicle Division branch on San Mateo, has been placed on leave. No one else has been arrested, but investigators said more employees could be charged once the investigation is complete.
Astorga, 29, has been charged with two open counts of murder. He is accused of killing an Albuquerque man last November and a Bernalillo County Sheriff deputy last month. Astorga was caught earlier this month in Mexico after a 13-day manhunt.
With the help of other employees, Martinez, 48, is accused of providing Astorga with driver's licenses in other people's names. The licenses were given to Astorga after Candido Martinez was killed Nov. 5. An arrest warrant was issued for Astorga in Martinez's death.
Lorraine Martinez was taken into custody March 30 when deputies went to the MVD branch, shut it down and seized records and computers. After examining the computers in the MVD office, FBI agents found three photos of Astorga on a computer used for producing photo identification cards, according to court documents. On Tuesday, investigators went to Martinez's West Side home where she lives with Astorga's mother, Theresa Romero, and seized more documents.
"There are other things that are involved that are leading me to believe that there is some kind of criminal enterprise involved with these titles," said Detective Bill Webb with the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office.
According to court records, Astorga was making money by selling cars, and police suspect Martinez was killed over a car.
(Excerpt) Read more at abqjournal.com ...
PING!
Good news.
Besides the NM police and local leos, get the FBI and Homeland Defense involve re the false ids. That is an act of terrorism after 9/11 to issue false ids..
The mom is a piece of work, BTW. 50-yr.-old party girl with a diamond stud in her nose.
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