Joel Cano, the now former New Mexico judge arrested for allegedly assisting a member of Venezuelan-born gang Tren de Aragua, admitted to destroying evidence related to the case.
Cano, now in federal custody along with his wife Nancy, was arrested by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents last Thursday following an investigation related to an alleged Venezuelan gang member living with them.
The man in question is Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, who was arrested in February on suspicion of having entered the country unlawfully and having ties with the gang.
As days progress, new evidence related to their actions is emerging. Cano, now disbarred, admitted that he destroyed a phone belonging to Ortega-Lopez that was still in his home and may have contained more damning evidence. A search warrant had been issued for the phone in March, a month after Ortega-Lopez’s arrest.
Cano is now also facing charges of tampering with evidence, asides from assisting the alleged gang member. Nancy Cano, on her end, is accused of conspiracy to tamper with evidence after news surfaced that she sought to help the Venezuelan man delete his Facebook attempt, which also had evidence relevant to a case against Ortega-Lopez.
The Venezuelan man has been charged for unlawful possession of a firearm or ammunition. He made it into law enforcement’s radar after posting photos and videos at what looked like a shooting range holding guns. Officials said tattoos, clothing and hand gestures of his are “commonly associated” with Tren de Aragua. The gang, however, has no known tattoo identifiers.
Cano has denied any wrongdoing and claimed he had no knowledge of Ortega-Lopez’s alleged gang ties. “The very first time I ever heard that (the men) 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,” he said in a statement.
“This is the last person we want in our country, nor will we ever tolerate a judge or anyone else harboring them,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi when discussing the case.
The Trump administration has designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organizatoin and invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to transfer the migrants to an infamous high-security prison in El Salvador. The decision, however, has been met with numerous legal challenges over a lack of due process.
Critics have questioned the administration’s insistence that all deported individuals were gang members. Several deportees and their families have denied any involvement, saying that they were taken under feeble pretenses, including tattoos, clothing and hand gestures.
Originally published on Latin Times
