Federal charges were released Wednesday, May 31, against a failed Republican candidate for his alleged involvement in a string of drive-by shootings at the houses of state and municipal officials in Albuquerque.
The accusations include election interference and additional conspiracy and weapons-related charges.
Former GOP Candidate Charged for Shooting Four Democratic Officials' Residences
According to NBC News, US District Court in Albuquerque has indicted former GOP candidate Solomon Peña and two others for their roles in the shootings at the properties of four Democratic officials, including the current state House speaker, in December 2022 and January of this year.
Former President Donald Trump and his supporters once propagated false statements about the result of the 2020 presidential race. Then a wave of threats and acts of intimidation against election workers and public officials around the nation followed.
Moreover, the residences of two county commissioners were attacked immediately after they certified the 2022 election, as noted by US Attorney Alexander Uballez. "Peña targeted several of these public officials because, in their official capacity, they certified the election, which he lost."
The shootings resulted in no casualties. However, gunshots penetrated the bedroom wall of a state senator's 10-year-old daughter in one incident.
The Latest Indictment Includes Peña's Texts About 'Pressing the Attack'
The latest indictment details Peña's use of his smartphone, including text conversations, in the days after the 2022 November 8 election.
In these messages, Peña allegedly reveals the addresses of officials' houses, asserts claims of election manipulation, and confides in a political associate about his intentions to "press the attack."
The indictment includes texts sent by Peña as Bernalillo County commissioners certified the results of the midterm election and his own resounding loss as a contender for a seat in the state House of Representatives. The federal government claims that Peña recruited hitmen and personally participated in at least one of the shootings.
Peña texted a Republican political ally, who also lost a race for state representative, hours before the first shooting on December 4, 2022. He stated, "We have to act. I'm continuing my study of election rigging. The enemy will eventually break."
Later, Peña texted one of the unidentified conspirators in the indictment. The text message was sent during the chaos of the killings.
According to the police, Peña was the mastermind behind a plot that targeted two county commissioners and two state politicians.
Elizabeth Honce, Peña's defense attorney, has said that her client is not guilty.
Since his arrest in January, Peña has been jailed without bond in state district court relating to gunshot allegations.
Secretary of State for New Mexico, Maggie Toulouse Oliver, has expressed her satisfaction with the federal government's serious pursuit of the matter. Notably, legislators in New Mexico passed a bill this year that permits certain public officials and political candidates to remove their home addresses from government websites.
