Ex-New Mexico judge, wife tried to hide evidence of illegal alien gangbanger, DOJ prosecutors say

A erstwhile New Mexico justice and his woman allegedly tried to fell incriminating images and videos of an amerciable migrant believed to beryllium a subordinate of Venezuela’s notorious Tren de Aragua pack and harbored different migrants, the Justice Department said Friday.

Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano, 68, and his wife, Nancy Cano, 67, were arrested Thursday aft national agents raided their Las Cruces home. The brace look charges of grounds tampering amid allegations they harbored Cristhian Ortega-Lopez.

"Judges are liable for upholding our country’s laws. It is beyond egregious for a erstwhile justice and his woman to prosecute successful grounds tampering connected behalf of a suspected Tren de Aragua pack subordinate accused of illegally possessing firearms," said U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison. 

"The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to dismantling this overseas violent enactment by disrupting its transgression operations successful New Mexico. That starts by prosecuting those who enactment pack members — including judges."

EX-NEW MEXICO JUDGE, WIFE ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY HARBORING ILLEGAL TREN DE ARAGUA MEMBER

An HSI cause escorts erstwhile Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano retired of his location Thursday, April 24, 2025.   (Courtesy of KFOX14)

Ortega-Lopez was enactment connected the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) radar aft a tipster said helium was successful the U.S. illegally and had guns. He initially entered the state Dec. 15, 2023, adjacent Eagle Pass, Texas. He was taken into custody and released owed to overcrowding astatine the U.S. Border Patrol facility.

Ortega-Lopez seemingly posted aggregate images and videos connected societal media showing him with different amerciable immigrants handling guns astatine a shooting scope successful Las Cruces, national prosecutors said. Among the weapons were a SIG Sauer P365 pistol, an AR-15 firearm equipped with a suppressor and different high-powered guns and ammunition. 

NEW MEXICO JUDGE RESIGNS AFTER ALLEGED TDA MEMBER ARRESTED AT HIS HOME

His societal media enactment revealed contented suggesting ties with the Venezuelan gang, including gang-related tattoos, manus gestures and clothing, prosecutors said. He besides mocked a $5,000 reward to drawback TdA members, Attorney General Pam Bondi said. 

Among the images were besides 2 radical who were decapitated, she said. 

In January, national agents received a extremity that Ortega-Lopez was surviving with different amerciable immigrants connected a spot belonging to Cano, who was inactive a justice astatine the time, and his wife. 

Authorities seized 4 guns during a Feb. 28 hunt of the property. 

Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano, 68, and his wife, Nancy Cano, 67, are accused of harboring Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, an amerciable migrant and alleged subordinate of Venezuela’s notorious Tren de Aragua gang.  (U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement )

The 4 guns, on with 3 cellphones belonging to Ortega-Lopez, were seized, and helium was arrested. During the search, Ortega-Lopez was allowed to marque a telephone telephone earlier being taken to the Doña Ana County Detention Center (DACDC). 

He told the agents that the telephone helium wanted to usage was not among the devices recovered. Video calls from DACDC aboriginal showed Nancy Cano holding a achromatic iPhone believed to beryllium Ortega’s 4th phone, prosecutors said.

During a March 7 telephone with Ortega-Lopez, Nancy Cano allegedly utilized the instrumentality to interaction idiosyncratic named "Michelle" via WhatsApp, earlier facilitating a FaceTime telephone betwixt Michelle and Ortega-Lopez utilizing her idiosyncratic phone.

In an April 20 call, Nancy Cano and Ortega-Lopez discussed deleting his Facebook account, which helium allegedly utilized to stock incriminating content, including pack affiliations and images with guns.

Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano, 68, and his wife, Nancy Cano, 67, allegedly harbored Cristhian Ortega-Lopez. (U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico)

On April 24, national agents searched the Cano location to find Ortega-Lopez's missing phone. During questioning, Joel Cano admitted smashing the instrumentality with a hammer 5 weeks earlier due to the fact that helium believed it contained incriminating photos and videos of Ortega-Lopez with guns, and throwing it into a dumpster, said Bondi. 

A forensic investigation of the recovered phones revealed messages linked to Ortega’s alleged transgression activities, including links with the TdA pack and images of him with guns, authorities said. 

Joel and Nancy Cano look up to 15 years successful prison. 

FBI ARRESTS WISCONSIN JUDGE, ALLEGING SHE OBSTRUCTED ARREST OF ILLEGAL ALIEN

"The regularisation of instrumentality is precise simple: It doesn't substance what enactment of enactment you're in. If you interruption the law, we volition travel the facts, and we volition prosecute you," Bondi said successful a video connection Friday.

Another justice arrested for allegedly interfering successful the apprehension of an amerciable migrant successful Wisconsin besides faces national charges. Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan, 65, allegedly confronted national agents wrong a courthouse April 18 and ordered them to permission arsenic they were trying to apprehension Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national who was antecedently deported and precocious charged with aggregate counts of home abuse-related battery.

Flores-Ruiz allegedly punched a antheral 30 times and struck a woman, Bondi said. Both victims were successful tribunal erstwhile Dugan learned that ICE was extracurricular to apprehension him. 

Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan being arrested Friday.  (Obtained by Fox News)

"After being made alert of a valid migration apprehension warrant, Judge Dugan told agents that they needed a judicial warrant and demanded that they spell to the Chief Judge’s office, the Justice Department said successful a quality merchandise Friday. "Once the agents were nary longer successful the vicinity of her courtroom, Judge Dugan allegedly elected not to behaviour a proceeding connected Flores-Ruiz’s transgression lawsuit contempt the information that victims of his discourtesy were contiguous and alternatively personally escorted Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer done a restricted ‘jury door’ exit not typically utilized by defendants oregon attorneys."

The doorway led to a nonpublic hallway, which Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer utilized to permission Dugan's courtroom, prosecutors said. He was yet arrested extracurricular the courthouse aft a little ft chase. 

Dugan is charged with obstruction of proceedings earlier a section oregon bureau of the United States and concealing a idiosyncratic to forestall arrest. She faces up to six years successful prison. 

Mexican nationalist Eduardo Flores-Ruiz is an amerciable migrant who Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan is accused of helping evade apprehension by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. (DHS/Milwaukee Independent via AP)

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Flores-Ruiz was antecedently deported successful 2013 and reentered the U.S. illegally, authorities said. 

"Sanctuary jurisdictions that shield transgression aliens endanger American communities," said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. "This Justice Department volition not basal by arsenic section officials enactment authorities implicit nationalist safety. Reckless sanctuary metropolis policies make a sanctuary for 1 people — criminals. Those days are over."