Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Posted on 04/25/2025 12:36:17 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Joel Cano denies knowledge of criminal ties, resigns from bench amid investigation
A former Doña Ana County magistrate judge is responding to allegations that he knowingly allowed members of a Venezuelan gang to live on his property, calling the claims “sensationalism at the highest possible level.” Joel Cano, who resigned from his position in March, is now permanently barred from serving as a judge in New Mexico.
The controversy began in late February when Homeland Security Investigations arrested three Venezuelan nationals, including Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, during a raid on Cano’s property. Federal investigators claim the men were well-known members of the Tren de Aragua gang, a criminal organization based in Venezuela.
Joel and his wife, Nancy Cano, were both arrested by ICE on Thursday evening, April 24. Both have been charged with one count of tampering with evidence.
According to court documents, the men had been living in a small guest house, or casita, on Cano’s property. Ortega-Lopez told investigators they had initially performed handyman work for Cano and his wife before being allowed to move in after being evicted from their apartment.
The arrests drew further scrutiny when social media posts emerged showing Ortega-Lopez holding firearms, with Cano visible in some of the images. Although Cano has not been criminally charged, the New Mexico Judicial Standards Commission launched an investigation into alleged “willful misconduct.”
Cano’s resignation from the bench halted any formal disciplinary hearings, but in a 23-page letter submitted to the New Mexico Supreme Court, he denied any wrongdoing and said he was unaware of the men’s alleged gang ties. “Let me be as crystal clear as possible,” Cano wrote. “The very first time I ever heard that the boys could possibly have any association with Tren de Aragua was when I was informed of that by [the] agents on the day of the raid.”
Deep dive: Target 7 Investigates
Cano referred to the three men repeatedly as “the boys” in his letter and defended his decision to allow them to stay on his property. He said they had previously interacted with Border Patrol and HSI without any issues, and that their immigration paperwork led him to believe they were not subject to removal.
“Their papers stated in the upper right-hand corner, ‘This Person is Not Subject to Removal.’ They each had a specific court date regarding their asylum hearing,” Cano stated.
He also emphasized that he would never have put his family at risk if he had suspected any danger.
“I have three grandkids that I love dearly. Their ages are 15, 8 and 6. There is no way in the world that I would have allowed my grandkids to have any contact with the boys if I had sensed danger,” he wrote.
The Judicial Standards Commission also alleged that Cano provided the men with firearms. In response, Cano denied giving them access to weapons, referencing a family outing to a shooting range.
“I did not take a single firearm to the range. I took no ammunition to the range either. [My wife] and I went only as spectators,” he wrote.
Efforts by KOAT Action 7 News to reach Cano for further comment were unsuccessful. Calls and text messages to a number found in court documents went unanswered.
Despite the allegations and his resignation, Cano and his wife have not been charged with any crimes.
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Well, the dear judge did aid and abbet, there is that.
Of course he’ll skate.
Lawyers “know the ropes...”
And he’s supposed to make judgments? That was his job? Replace him with a chimp.
How much were those illegal aliens being paid while being “allowed” to live there?
Looks lIke that judge was getting some dirt cheap (slave) labor.
Were Social Security taxes paid? /S
That’s hard to do without SS numbers.
Anybody remember Nannygate?
“The judge sounds comically naive and unwary, unlike almost every lawyer and judge whom I have known.”
Yup, dealing with cops and lawyer who have an identical philosophy; Never ask a question you don’t already know the answer to.
F this ahole and the verbal garbage he’s spewing! What was his take on Trump being arrested and getting his mug shot?
He wasn’t ‘aware’ of any criminal ties. So, he’s pleading ignorance.
If I get pulled over for doing 90 in a 55 mph zone and I say ‘I wasn’t aware I was speeding’, is that OK?
If you get caught hiring illegals for your business, is it OK if you just say you ‘weren’t aware’?
Judges’ idiot daughter had a friend who needed a place to stay. I bet the judge had no idea his idiot daughter’s friend was a gang banger.
From the article:
Joel and his wife, Nancy Cano, were both arrested by ICE on Thursday evening, April 24. Both have been charged with one count of tampering with evidence.
Despite the allegations and his resignation, Cano and his wife have not been charged with any crimes.
??? Am I missing something?
Has always been a corrupt Democrat haven. Notorious for Midnight Election Fraud. I lived there for 6 months when I moved to New Mexico in early 1970’s. I made weekly trips to Las Cruces every week for 14 years. My business customers there were not Democrats.
NM has HUGE Leftist pockets. Really insane ComDem’s control many of the State's large cities.
“My later father, with successful careers as a merchant marine and naval officer, a lawyer, and then a judge commonly saw to the essence of things and people at a glance.”
A very rare gift.
The judge is guilty as hell.
One other thing that really
bothers me is he placed his family
in Jeopready.
He”s either bought off, or holds
a position with the gang himself.
Street cops tend to develop the same ability. By chance, a retired cop friend of mine saw two of the 9/11 hijackers before the attack. His tip later helped the FBI find and dismantle their local support cell.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.