DOÑA ANA COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – A New Mexico judge resigned last month after the Department of Homeland Security arrested his tenant, who is accused of being a member of the Venezuelan transnational criminal gang Tren de Aragua.
According to the criminal complaint, former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano rented out his casita to Cristhian Ortega-Lopez at the behest of his wife last year. They met Ortega-Lopez when his wife hired him to do housework.
According to court documents obtained by KTSM, the Supreme Court and Third Judicial District Court received Cano’s resignation letter on March 31.
On Tuesday, April 22, the Supreme Court issued an order resolving two disciplinary cases against Cano.
The disciplinary cases were filed by the New Mexico Judicial Standards Commission, which is an independent agency that investigates allegations of misconduct by state court judges.
Under the Supreme Court order, former Judge Cano can never hold a judicial office again, be a candidate for a judicial office, or exercise any judicial authority in the state, including officiating at weddings.
The District Attorney’s Office said Cano’s daughter had multiple firearms and let Ortega-Lopez hold, shoot, and pose with them in pictures that were posted on social media. The feds seized those firearms and arrested Ortega-Lopez in February. Homeland Security said Ortega-Lopez admitted to entering the country illegally in 2023. Due to overcrowding, he was released from an El Paso border patrol facility pending his deportation hearing.
The acting United States Attorney for New Mexico ordered that Ortega-Lopez be held behind bars until his trial. He is charged with being a migrant in possession of a firearm and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
It’s unknown if Cano knew of Ortega-Lopez’s alleged gang affiliation. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham will appoint a new judge who will serve out his term through 2026.
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