Former VFW Officer Pleads Guilty to Stealing Over $120,000 From New Mexico Post

October 23, 2009---FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Patrick Davis, Public Information Officer (505) 908-8591

NEWS RELEASE

Former VFW Officer Pleads Guilty to Stealing Over $120,000 From New Mexico Post

Originally Charged with Over 600 Felony Counts, Will Now Soon Begin Restitution

Albuquerque, New Mexico – District Attorney Kari Brandenburg announces that for a former New Mexico VFW Post officer, Joe Salas, has pleaded guilty to 17 felony counts of Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card Without the Consent of the Owner for his misuse of a VFW Post issued debit card which he used to finance over $122,000 worth of personal expenses.

Salas, a former Quartermaster/Adjunct of a New Mexico Veterans of Foreign Wars Post, used a post-issued card to finance personal expenses on over six-hundred occasions between 2003 and 2006. As a post officer, he was responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the post and trusted to use the card for post-related expenses. He originally entered not guilty pleas to each count, but during a special setting this morning before District Court Judge Kenneth Martinez, he pleaded guilty to seventeen of those counts and agreed to reimburse the post over $17,000 of the loss. Additionally, Salas took full responsibility for the actions of Claudine Sanchez, another defendant facing similar charges. Charges against Sanchez will be dismissed after Salas is sentenced.

Salas will appear in court again on January 15, 2010 for sentencing. He faces up to 51 years of incarceration.

Several members of the VFW appeared in court today for the plea, and prosecutors announced that several are expected to speak during the January sentencing setting, when they will discuss the impact the loss of funds has had on their post and their civic activities.

Though the Post’s insurance company reimbursed portions of the loss, prosecutors felt that requiring Salas to personally reimburse a substantial portion of the loss was appropriate in this case.

This case is prosecuted by attorneys in the District Attorney’s Economic Crimes Division.

The Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office, which includes all of Bernalillo County, prosecutes approximately 30,000 criminal cases in Metropolitan and District Courts each year.

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