Former New Mexico secretary of state gets 30 days jail for corruption
By Joseph J. Kolb ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Reuters) - New Mexico's former Secretary of State Dianna Duran was sentenced on Monday to 30 days in jail for embezzlement and campaign finance violations in connection with hundreds of thousands of dollars she spent in casinos. "I apologise to the people of the state of New Mexico, to my family and friends ... I am truly sorry," Duran wept as she briefly addressed the judge in federal court in Santa Fe. Duran, a Republican, resigned in late October after admitting two counts of felony embezzlement and four misdemeanour counts including money laundering under a plea deal with prosecutors. She will start her sentence on Friday, Judge T. Glenn Ellington told her, rejecting a request by Duran's attorney that she begin her time behind bars after the Christmas holiday. "Many citizens come before this court with addictions whether it be alcohol, drugs, or gambling," Ellington said. "The inability to control an addiction destroys the individual's life, and those around them." The judge suspended seven and a half years of jail time, and he placed Duran on five years probation. She must also wear a GPS monitoring device for no less than two years, during which she is to stay away from gambling establishments. In addition, Duran will perform community service, including making public speeches about how gambling has affected her life, as well as pay about $30,000 in fines and restitution. She had initially faced a 65-count criminal complaint which was filed in August by the office of New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas. In it, prosecutors pointed to a discrepancy between her stated income and the amount of money she spent at casinos, and they accused her of offences including fraud, conspiracy, tampering with public records and government misconduct. Under October's plea agreement, the counts to which Duran did not plead guilty were dismissed. The complaint said Duran had misappropriated campaign contributions, and that more than $430,000 was withdrawn from her bank accounts for cash expenses incurred at eight casinos between 2013 and 2014 - roughly as much as she reported on her joint tax returns from 2010 to 2013 combined. (Reporting by Joseph J. Kolb; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Chizu Nomiyama)
