The Las Cruces Sun-News reported on Monday that three employees from the Doña Ana County Clerk’s office were arrested, for alleged identity theft.
According to Sun-News the arrests were the second round in the past week.
It comes on the heels of an earlier round of arrests — which happened Friday — related to the same alleged scheme, which entailed fraudulently notarizing documents that would’ve allowed for the cashing of nearly $12,000 in federal tax refund checks that had been obtained using stolen identities, according to court documents obtained by the Sun-News.
Three people were arrested on Friday for allegedly running a system of check fraud.
So, the accused county clerk’s office personnel, who had notary authority, allegedly supplied the fraudulent notary stamps that were needed on the affidavits to deposit the checks to get a kickback, according to court documents. The notaries were set to get “$20 per notarized item,” according to court records. The names of those three clerk’s employees, believed to be detained Monday morning, still aren’t known.
The Sun-News reported the three people arrested on Monday were somehow linked to the previous round of arrests.
State Sen. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, tweeted Monday morning that the arrests were in connection to voter fraud, though this appears to not the be case.
Voter fraud had been alleged by former Representative Garcia. Arrests of employees in County Clerk offices.
— Joseph Cervantes (@SenJoeCervantes) June 1, 2015
Questions whether Clerk's offices arrests relate to election fraud. Basing my information on phone call from a County Commissioner.
— Joseph Cervantes (@SenJoeCervantes) June 1, 2015
Charges range from fraud to conspiracy to identify theft. #LiveOnKFOX14
— Patrick Hayes (@PatrickKFOX_CBS) June 1, 2015
