Thursday, July 28, 2011

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AG Agreement Leads to Federal Indictment

Former Corrections Official Pleads Guilty to Bribery

(ALBUQUERQUE)---Attorney General Gary King assisted in securing a guilty plea today to federal bribery charges by former state official Laurie Chapman. Chapman agreed to plead guilty and not to contest restitution in return for the state's agreement not to pursue state charges. The AG agreed not to pursue state charges against her based upon the acts and conduct specifically alleged in the federal indictment. This preserves any claim the State may have if there is anything criminal in other dealings involving Chapman. She plead guilty this morning in federal court in Albuquerque to receiving bribes of more than $230,000 in exchange for awarding nearly $4 million in state contracts. Attorney General King says, "The U.S. Attorney's Office asked us to facilitate a plea bargain with Chapman concerning the federal charges. When that plea bargain failed to take place, the State and Chapman negotiated an agreement whereby, in return for her plea to the federal charges, the State would not pursue her on these facts. The FBI agents who conducted the investigation are quite confident that Ms. Chapman's criminal conduct is limited to the facts as set out in the federal indictment, and it is important to New Mexico that Chapman's criminal conduct be dealt with promptly." Chapman's agreement was orchestrated by the AG's Government Accountability Division.

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