You Go, New Mexico!
New Mexico Republican Secretary of State oversees elections and campaign finance and has the role of state government ethics regulator.
So what better person to spend money from her campaign account at casinos?
Republican Secretary of State Dianna Duran has been indicted for embezzlement from her campaign account.
According to the complaint, Duran withdrew a total of $147,641 in 2013 and $282,807 in 2014 at Buffalo Thunder Casino, Camel Rock Casino, Casino Apache, Inn of the Mountain Gods, Ohkay Casino, Ruidoso Downs, San Felipe Casino and Sandia Casino from her personal accounts.
The largest chunks of the withdrawals, totaling $95,700 in 2013 and $150,256 in 2014, were at Sandia Casino.
The New Mexico Attorney General is a Democrat.
So, Republican Secretary of State Duran is yelling, “Political!”
Well, in the strictest sense, it probably is. If the Attorney General had been a Republican, we never would have heard about this. I can damn promise you that.
Thanks to Brian for the heads up.
Thanks for this; I probably wouldn’t know of it otherwise.
1Not to worry. Our teabager gov will pardon her.
2Maybe she was betting she’d keep her office?
3When did she have time to do her job?
4I’d say that gal has a gambling problem!! Me thinks she needs to be paying for a bit of rehab!!
5Funny how Republicans can go after Dems for something that’s not related to their job (or that they never actually did) in full moral superiority mode…it’s all about “famileeee” and “accountabiliteeeeee” but then insist that when they break actual laws and leave actual evidence lying around and get exposed, it’s “political”.
They’re happy to throw a black kid in jail for having an ounce of pot and then think up some more bad things in that kid’s background so they can label him a career criminal and keep him there until forever, but ogollygeewhizeNOTFAIR! to indict a white Republican adult for indulging some addiction of their own in a way that is every bit as illegal.
6New Mexico has added an artistic touch to its Republicanism under Susana Martinez. Other Republican Governors scatter their crooks and criminals sorta at random, but New Mexico makes sure ‘the person fits the job, the job fits the person.’
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Of course you put an embezzler in the SoS office. After all, they gave the Deputy Superintendent of the Albuquerque School system to someone who was picked up by the Denver Police for “sexual assault on a child from a position of trust and other felony charges.”
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That last seems to be getting crazier by the day — with the ex=Deputy claiming he never left Colorado (which would have broken his bond) but merely telecommuted. But even the person who hired him admits that he made at least one visit to a NM school “…but he didn’t have any contact with the kids.”
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This one gets so crazy you have to go to sources like New Mexico Political Report or the Albuquerque papers — I wouldn’t try to summarize it.
Her first order of business when she took office was to purge the voting rolls. She was stopped. this is another big scandal for Gov. Martinez while she heads the Rethuglican Gov. Association. While Duran is a pitiful woman, I want that money back…..
8So she threw away over $430,000 in eight casinos over two years. Besides being an embezzler, she also demonstrates that you might as well burn your money as go to a casino.
On the other hand, not being a Republican male who points at immoral people, she did manage to keep her pants on.
9E.Moon, a pattern emerges! Ever notice how, when a Republican is caught with their proverbial pants down or their hand in the cookie jar, they either cry “POLITICAL!” or “God has forgiven me and so has my long suffering spouse!” But when a Democrat gets caught they tend to hang their head in shame and resign? While breaking the rules is not acceptable in either party, I would argue that just as Republicans have mastered the art of crocodile tears, they have also perfected the art of using our guilt against us. They have also perfected the use of talking points: ” If I say it loudly enough and often enough people will believe me.” I think they learned it from Peter Pan, “I do believe in fairies, I do believe in fairies…”
10Electing Republicans these days is always a gamble. At least she isn’t in a position to start another war in the Middle East.
11Deb-there is always the old standard wingnut fallback line,”If I get prosecuted the terrorists win.”
12Not only is she an embezzler and gambler, she’s lousy at it.
13Caught red-handed with all those losses, no head-hanging here.
She really does not look the part of a high roller, but as a republican, she knows to try to throw the blame elsewhere.
Having lived in New Mexico for a year I have observed that New Mexico politics are pretty close to Texas politics without the guns.
14Dianne, honey, you gotta “own” your addiction or you will be very soon running out of excuses and blaming everything on politics is just not cutting it! Nothing sadder to see than a woman in denial. Or anyone for that matter.
15Are these Native-American owned casinos? If it is, nice to see them getting some of it back. Gamble more white Republicans!
16Stop picking on this poor lady, who was just doing everything she could to stimulate the local economy.
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