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SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A second defendant has pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with a series of drive-by shootings at the homes of state and local lawmakers in Albuquerque after the 2022 election, the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office announced Friday. Demetrio Trujillo pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy, election interference and firearms-related charges, officials said. Raul Bujanda, special agent in charge of the FBI Albuquerque field office, announced the developments in a news release. Demetrio's son Jose Louise Trujillo previously pleaded guilty to illegal use of a firearm in connection with the shootings, as well as fentanyl possession with the intent to distribute. No one was injured, but in one case bullets passed through the bedroom of a state senator’s 10-year-old daughter.

Persons: —, Demetrio Trujillo, Raul Bujanda, Solomon Peña, Peña, Donald Trump, Demetrio's, Jose Louise Trujillo, Alexander Uballez Organizations: SANTA FE, FBI, Attorney's, Federal, Republican, Democratic Locations: SANTA, Albuquerque, FBI Albuquerque, U.S, New Mexico

☆ Failed Republican candidate charged in shooting spree aimed at New Mexico Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Kanishka Singh | Thomson Reuters | Kanishka Singh Is A Breaking News Reporter For Reuters In Washington Dc | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 31 (Reuters) - A failed Republican state candidate in New Mexico was charged by federal authorities on Wednesday for a shooting spree targeting the homes of four elected Democratic officials, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement. Solomon Pena, 40, lost a state House of Representatives race last November. After his defeat, Pena organized the shootings on the homes of two Bernalillo County commissioners and two New Mexico state legislators, prosecutors said. If convicted, Pena faces a mandatory minimum of 60 years in prison, according to the Justice Department. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Solomon Pena, Pena, Kenneth, Tim Keller, Linda Lopez, David Clements, Clements, Kanishka Singh, Leslie Adler Organizations: Republican, Democratic, U.S . Justice Department, Justice Department, Albuquerque, Thomson Locations: New Mexico, Bernalillo, Washington

The investigation into a failed New Mexico political candidate and a string of shootings has expanded, with officials now looking to determine if contributions to the suspect's campaign were funneled by drug trafficking, police said. No one was hurt in the shootings, which all involved elected Democratic officials. But a man who police have said was allegedly involved, Jose Trujillo, donated more than $5,000 to Pena's campaign and that man's mother also donated about $4,000 to the campaign, officials said. Trujillo is listed as a cashier in Pena's campaign reports. In the following days, a shooting occurred outside the home of new state House Speaker Javier Martinez.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Republican lawmakers scrambled on Wednesday to distance themselves from shooting suspect and failed GOP candidate Solomon Pena. Pena, who lost his race for the New Mexico state House, was arrested Monday in connection with a string of shootings at the homes of state and local Democratic leaders, police said. This individual was a felon in possession of a gun who conspired to terrorize and harm New Mexico families,” New Mexico Senate Republican Leader Senator Greg Baca said in a statement. He lost in a landslide to House incumbent Democrat Miguel P. Garcia by 5,679 to 2,033, or 74% to 26%. On Wednesday, New Mexico Republican leaders insisted they are opposed to "violence in any form."

☆ Solomon Pena was belligerent to neighbors who opposed his political views, condo official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Deon J. Hampton | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Mirna-Alsharif-Byline-Jm.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Pena claimed his defeat was the result of election fraud, Gilbert Gallegos, an Albuquerque police spokesman, said Monday at a news conference. Bode said her partner, who died a year ago, had several interactions with Pena. “My partner got into difficult, unsolicited conversations with him as she came in and out of the building,” Bode said. “He’s not a polite, nice person.”Parks said Pena often expressed his political thoughts. “You didn’t necessarily want to get in the elevator with him, because you may not have a nice conversation,” Parks said.

☆ Capitol Police investigated more than 7,500 threats against lawmakers last year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. Capitol Police investigated 7,501 threats against members of Congress last year, according to new figures released Tuesday. Last year's numbers marked the first decline in at least five years but remained "historically high," nearly double the 3,939 cases investigated in 2017, Capitol Police said. “The threats against Members of Congress are still too high,” U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said in a statement. Threats of political violence have also extended to the state and local levels. Solomon Pena, an unsuccessful GOP candidate for the New Mexico state House, was arrested Monday in connection with four shootings at the homes of two county commissioners and two state legislators.

☆ Election denial drove New Mexico Democrat attacks, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 18 (Reuters) - Election conspiracy theories drove a defeated Republican candidate in New Mexico with a criminal past to hire gunmen to attack homes of Democratic legislators, marking a dangerous new level of political violence, officials said on Wednesday. The string of shootings follows other recent acts of politically motivated violence, including the attack in San Francisco on the husband of then-House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The Republican National Hispanic Assembly said it had backed Pena, a political novice, in the belief the former U.S. Navy medic and political science graduate had left crime behind. Under New Mexico law, felons can have voting rights restored after serving sentences. Reporting by Andrew Hay; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Failed GOP Candidate Provided Guns, Cash in Attacks on New Mexico Democratic Officials, Police Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Joseph De Avila | Dan Frosch | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Investigators said a confidential witness implicated a former Republican candidate for the New Mexico state legislature in a series of drive-by shootings targeting Democratic officials, according to details of the arrest warrant. Solomon Peña , 39, who lost his race for state representative to his Democratic opponent in November, was arrested Monday, Albuquerque, N.M., police said. Before the shootings, Mr. Peña showed up uninvited at the homes of some of the Democratic lawmakers, claiming to have evidence of election fraud, they said.

☆ Solomon Peña, New Mexico GOP candidate, visited homes of Democratic politicians to dispute election prior to shootings, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Deon J. Hampton | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A failed New Mexico state House candidate visited the homes of local Democratic leaders to vehemently dispute his election loss weeks before he allegedly orchestrated a series of shootings at the residences, elected officials said. “Peña came to my house right after the (November) election. Police spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos said at a news conference early Monday evening that Peña alleged his defeat was the result of election fraud. Peña lost his state House challenge to incumbent Democrat Miguel P. Garcia by 5,679 to 2,033, or 74% to 26%. He took his case to three county commissioners and a state senator — some whose homes were targeted in the shootings — to no avail, Gallegos said.

☆ Losing New Mexico Candidate Arrested Over Shootings at Democrats’ Homes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Dan Frosch | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A former Republican candidate for the New Mexico state legislature was arrested Monday for his suspected involvement in a string of recent drive-by shootings at the homes of several Democratic elected officials. Solomon Peña , 39, who lost his race for state representative to his Democratic opponent in November, helped orchestrate the shootings and participated in at least one of them, Albuquerque police said. The homes of two county officials and two state legislators, including the New Mexico House speaker, were hit in the drive-by shootings, according to police. Nobody was hurt in the incidents, which took place over the past several weeks, though the homes sustained damage.

☆ Losing candidate arrested in string of shootings at New Mexico Democrats' homes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dennis-Romero-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Dennis Romero | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Police in Albuquerque on Monday announced the arrest of a failed candidate for state Legislature in a string of shootings at locations associated with high-profile Democratic leaders. Republican Solomon Peña is accused of conspiring with and paying four men to carry out four shootings at the homes of two Bernalillo County commissioners and two state legislators. But on Monday, Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina described Peña as the initiator of the shootings. Ballistics evidence from one of the shootings connected the case to the suspect, Medina said. The Albuquerque Journal describes the suspect as unsuccessful candidate for New Mexico House District 14, which represents the Albuquerque area's South Valley.

☆ Suspect in shootings at Democratic officials' homes called himself the 'MAGA King' and claimed voter fraud after he lost his election by nearly 50 points
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

GOP candidate Solomon Pena called himself the 'MAGA King' after losing his New Mexico House election. Pena is accused of orchestrating four shootings at the homes of elected Democratic officials. Pena refused to concede after losing his state election by nearly 50 points. I am the MAGA King" the day after the November 8 election. "We know we don't always agree with our elected officials, but that should never, ever lead to violence."

☆ Defeated Republican charged with attacks on New Mexico Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 17 (Reuters) - A failed Republican candidate in New Mexico was charged on Tuesday with contracting four gunmen to shoot at the homes of Democratic officials after he visited them to dispute his 2022 election defeat. Pena, described as a "radical right election denier" by Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, was arrested on Monday. Pena, who has previously been convicted of felonies such as burglary, faces a 1 p.m. pre-trial detention hearing on Wednesday. Pena wrote in July in the New Mexico Audit Force Telegram group in response to a claim of fraud in Nevada. Reporting by Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Additional Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A failed GOP candidate accused of orchestrating shootings at Democratic officials' homes once called for 'civility' between the parties
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A GOP candidate accused of plotting shootings at Democrats' homes once called for political 'civility.' Albuquerque police accused Pena of being the 'mastermind' behind 4 shootings at Democratic officials' homes. Pena had approached politicians at their homes with what he claimed was proof before the shootings, police said. —Solomon Pena for NM (@SolomonPena2022) August 30, 2022Police previously said that four shootings at elected Democrats' homes took place from early December to early January. The city's Democratic mayor called the shootings "politically motivated," and accused Pena of being a "right-wing radical."

☆ A failed GOP candidate masterminded shootings at 4 Democratic officials' homes, Albuquerque police say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Albuquerque police accused a failed GOP candidate of masterminding shootings at 4 Democrats' houses. Police arrested Solomon Pena, who lost a US House race to a Democratic rival last year. The head of the Albuquerque Police Department, Harold Medina, said during a press conference on Monday that police believe that Solomon Pena, 39, was behind all four shootings. At the Monday press conference, police said that five people were involved in the shootings, but did not clarify their alleged roles. Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said at the press conference that the police investigation had "basically confirmed" that the shootings were politically motivated.

☆ 'MAGA King' candidate accused of plotting shootings of Democrats' homes went to their houses and was 'erratic' and 'aggressive' after he lost his election
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The New Mexico GOP candidate accused of plotting shootings of Democrats' homes was "aggressive" and "erratic." One official told NBC News that Pena appeared at his house after the election and spouted election conspiracies. Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa told NBC News that Peña showed up at her house right after the November election. O'Malley told NBC that he did not threaten her at the time but she quickly called the police after he came by. New Mexico police accused Peña of hiring four men to carry out the shootings; he may have also personally shot at one of the houses himself.

☆ Republican candidate arrested in shootings of Democrats' homes in New Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 16 (Reuters) - An unsuccessful Republican state House candidate in New Mexico was arrested on Monday and accused of orchestrating recent shootings at four local elected officials' homes, the Albuquerque Police Department said. Police said on Monday they had arrested Solomon Pena, 39, and accused him of conspiring with, and paying, four other men to shoot at the homes of two county commissioners and two state legislators, all Democrats. Pena lost his election for the state House in November to an incumbent Democrat who garnered more than 73% of the votes. Police said at a press conference Pena had denied his election loss and had approached the commissioners and lawmakers at their homes, claiming election fraud was involved. On Jan. 3, three bullets fired into a state representative's home had gone through her 10-year-old daughter's bedroom, the paper reported.

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