Pojoaque Pueblo and US Attorney Iglesias

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This article is an interesting take on the firing of Iglesias in New Mexico, but because of the limit on quotation length, it doesn't make much sense without reading the article. I hope someone from New Mexico will chime in on this.... quite thought-provoking.

Pojoaque Pueblo claims retaliation by U.S. attorney

Leader says pueblo allies are being targeted because he wrote a column critical of Iglesias
By David Collins | The New Mexican
10/26/2007

Pueblo of Pojoaque Gov. George Rivera on Friday accused interim U.S. Attorney Larry Gomez of investigating political allies of the pueblo in retaliation for an opinion column Rivera wrote that was published in The New Mexican on April 1. The column said U.S. Attorney David Iglesias was justifiably fired last year because of poor job performance.


~~snip~~

Sen. Nancy Rodriguez, D-Santa Fe, who is a consultant to Pojoaque Pueblo, said Friday that two FBI agents visited her home about a month ago but left after she refused to answer their questions. "I indicated to them I wouldn't answer any questions until I know more. I didn't know what was on their mind," she said.

In his New Mexican opinion column, Rivera wrote that Iglesias deserved to be fired because he failed to investigate major crimes committed on the pueblo.

~~snip~~

"The bottom line is, the U.S. Attorney's Office is not doing their job on Indian lands," Rivera said Friday. He said in the column he had given Iglesias information about allegations of fraud but the U.S. Attorney's Office had lost the files in the case. He also said "nonaction" by Iglesias had led Congress to pass legislation "clarifying that the federal government had jurisdiction over all crimes involving Indians within the pueblos."

Even after that law was passed, Rivera said Friday, Iglesias refused to prosecute a tribal member accused of a violent 2002 attack against a nontribal member on private land inside the pueblo boundary.

~~snip~~

"We thought something was finally moving, but they were moving on us," Rivera said.
In September, an FBI investigation heated up, with agents reportedly paying evening visits to pueblo homes, Rivera said. He said the U.S. Attorney's Office had initially agreed to limit the scope of inquiry into tribal records but later demanded all records involving any political donation since 1996. That's when the pueblo hired criminal attorneys.

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Pueblo_claims_retaliation_by_U_S__attorney

maybe a change of titile will work? sigh..

Contact David Collins at 986-3064 or [e-mail].

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1. Kick for an interesting discussion, rather than another attack thread..

:kick:

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2. one last

:kick:

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3. K&R.nt