They suspect Columbus (NM) Mayor Eddie Espinoza, town Trustee Blas Gutierrez and his wife, Columbus Police Chief Angelo Vega, and eight others of firearms and smuggling charges in a 84-count indictment. Indictment PDF 26 pages
Apparently, Vega was a Lincoln County deputy sheriff and was indicted on charges of extortion and intimidating a witness. A plea agreement reduced those charges to a misdemeanor, and Vega was placed on probation.
In a June 2009 Los Angeles Times story about corruption across the border, there was an accompanying picture of Eddie Espinoza and caption that said that "since his election, Espinoza has been at odds with much of the town and six police chiefs who have either resigned or been fired. Now, there's not a single local cop in town."
October 2009, Vice President Joe Biden invited Hispanic elected officials, Democrats as well as Republicans from around the country to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Week.
In attendance, among others, was the Governor of Puerto Rico, a Congressman from El Paso and the Honorable Eddie Espinoza, Mayor of the Village of Columbus, New Mexico.Sweet isn't it?
“The magic of the reception was that even though we certainly didn’t all share the same political views, we do share a heritage and a culture and connected with one another on those levels.” Costa said she and Mayor Espinoza discovered they were equally proud of their country, patriotic and both have sons in the military.
“When Mayor Espinoza told me his son was stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, I said, ‘Send him down for a home-cooked meal!’ What an opportunity to show the hospitality of Highland Village!” She went on to say, “I was able to share with the Vice President how we are the safest city in Texas and very proactive about transportation alternatives. Mayor Costa is known locally more for her leadership role in Highland Village and Denton County than for her Hispanic heritage. However, “the influx of Latinos, from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico and elsewhere into Highland Village and neighboring cities in the last five years has stirred my pride as an American Latina,” says Costa.
March 11, 2011 - ABC-owned kvia story, "Columbus, NM Raid: Firearm Sale Oversight" reports that "At least 12 of those firearms have been traced back to the defendants from Mexico, according to the U.S. attorney's office."
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