ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A sweeping federal corruption investigation involving DWI cases in New Mexico has moved into a new phase as state authorities consider revoking the law enforcement certifications of officers implicated in the scheme.
The certification proceedings are directly connected to the same so-called “DWI Enterprise” uncovered publicly in early 2024 and detailed in federal court filings beginning in January 2025. The investigation has involved current and former personnel from the Albuquerque Police Department, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and New Mexico State Police, along with Albuquerque defense attorney Thomas Clear III and Ricardo “Rick” Mendez, who worked with Clear. Federal court records describe an arrangement designed to manipulate DWI criminal and administrative proceedings in exchange for money, gifts and other benefits.
As of August 2026, KOAT Target 7 reports that 22 law enforcement officers across the three agencies have been implicated in the broader investigation and that 10 officers have pleaded guilty in federal court. Nearly half of the officers implicated could now also lose their New Mexico law enforcement certifications.
How the Alleged DWI Enterprise Worked
Federal court filings describe an arrangement in which Clear, Mendez and participating law enforcement officers worked to have DWI criminal cases and related administrative proceedings dismissed or otherwise disrupted.
According to Mendez’s federal court filings, the scheme operated at least as early as 2008. Mendez admitted that participating officers intentionally failed to appear for required proceedings associated with DWI arrests, allowing Clear to seek dismissal of cases involving his clients.
Federal records further allege that participating officers referred DWI defendants to Clear’s law firm and received money, gifts or other benefits in connection with the arrangement. Court filings describe communications among members of the enterprise concerning DWI arrests and state that coded language was sometimes used in an effort to conceal the activity.
In his own subsequent plea agreement, Clear admitted using his law practice and legal skills to lead a DWI bribery scheme involving law enforcement personnel. His plea agreement states that the enterprise was intended to generate profits for its members while concealing the underlying activity. Clear also admitted that participation eventually extended into much of the APD DWI unit over a lengthy period.
Ricardo Mendez Became First Defendant to Plead Guilty
Mendez became the first person to enter a guilty plea in the federal investigation on January 24, 2025.
Federal filings charged Mendez with offenses including racketeering conspiracy, bribery involving an organization receiving federal funds and interference with commerce by extortion under color of official right. Mendez pleaded guilty to eight federal counts.
In his plea agreement, Mendez admitted conspiring with Clear and participating law enforcement officers to manipulate DWI proceedings beginning at least in 2008.
At the time of Mendez’s plea, Clear had not yet been criminally charged. That changed several weeks later.
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Thomas Clear Later Pleaded Guilty
On February 12, 2025, federal charges were filed against Clear, who then pleaded guilty to all nine counts he faced. Those charges included racketeering conspiracy, bribery and extortion-related offenses.
Clear admitted that the underlying scheme began around 1995, substantially extending the timeline beyond the 2008 date identified in Mendez’s admissions. Federal records therefore indicate that components of the enterprise existed for decades, although the participation and conduct attributed to individual defendants vary.
Investigation Expanded Beyond Albuquerque Police
Early attention surrounding the investigation focused largely on Albuquerque Police Department personnel. Mendez’s January 2025 federal filings, however, identified officers or deputies associated with three agencies:
- Albuquerque Police Department
- Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office
- New Mexico State Police
The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office placed Deputy Jeffrey Hammerel on administrative leave in January 2025 after learning of his connection to the investigation. Hammerel subsequently resigned and pleaded guilty to federal charges including conspiracy to commit extortion, extortion and bribery.
New Mexico State Police also conducted an internal review. In February 2025, State Police Chief Troy Weisler confirmed an internal affairs investigation involving Sgt. Toby LaFave after the agency examined DWI cases involving Clear and received additional information from the FBI.
Federal Guilty Pleas Continue
The investigation continued to produce guilty pleas after the initial 2025 cases. By late 2025, former Albuquerque officer Timothy McCarson had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit interference with commerce by extortion under color of official right. KOAT reported at that time that McCarson joined eight other officers, two attorneys and Mendez who had already entered guilty pleas connected with the enterprise.
According to the most recent Target 7 reporting on August 24, 2026, 10 officers have now pleaded guilty in federal court in connection with the DWI Enterprise investigation.
Certification Board Takes Up Officer Misconduct Cases
The criminal cases are only one component of the continuing fallout.
The New Mexico Law Enforcement Certification Board has reviewed misconduct reports involving multiple former officers associated with the investigation. According to Target 7, officers whose cases have been considered include:
- Honorio Alba Jr.
- Justin Hunt
- Harvey Johnson
- Lucas Perez
- Jeffrey Hammerel
- Gustavo Gomez
- Matthew Chavez
Target 7 reported that the board voted to move toward revocation involving the officers under review except Gomez. Gomez and Chavez have not been criminally charged in connection with the federal DWI Enterprise case, according to the report.
The distinction is significant: a law enforcement certification proceeding is an administrative process and is separate from a criminal prosecution. A person does not have to be convicted of a crime before a state licensing or certification authority may consider whether documented conduct satisfies the legal standard for professional discipline.
Certification Action Does Not Require a Criminal Charge
KOAT legal analyst John Day explained that the certification board may examine alleged misconduct even when prosecutors have not filed criminal charges.
According to Day, the board’s responsibility is to determine whether misconduct is sufficiently serious to make an officer ineligible to continue serving as a certified New Mexico law enforcement officer.
Administrative action should not be interpreted as a criminal conviction. Officers subject to certification proceedings retain the procedural rights provided under New Mexico law, and allegations concerning individuals who have not pleaded guilty or been convicted should not be treated as established criminal conduct.
APD Chief Previously Called for Certification Revocations
The possibility of certification action was discussed publicly long before the board’s August 2026 proceedings.
In January 2025, Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina told KOAT that APD’s goal was to ensure accountability not only for officers who could potentially face criminal prosecution, but also for officers whose conduct could support administrative action.
Medina said the department intended to submit appropriate misconduct documentation so state certification authorities could evaluate whether individuals connected to the scheme should be permitted to continue carrying a badge.
Medina also said APD’s internal investigation identified longstanding relationships among some of the individuals involved and indicated that some had attended the police academy together. Federal plea agreements later supplied additional details regarding recruiting and relationships within the DWI unit.
Investigation Reaches Back Decades
The known timeline of the enterprise expanded substantially as defendants began cooperating with investigators.
Mendez admitted participating beginning at least in 2008. Clear later admitted that his participation dated to approximately 1995.
Federal prosecutors and investigators have also examined whether other DWI cases could have connections to the scheme. KOAT reported in 2025 that Clear had served as attorney of record in 2,490 DWI cases over approximately 30 years. That figure does not mean all of those cases involved misconduct; it illustrates the volume of cases authorities and journalists have examined while attempting to determine the scope of the enterprise.
Former Officer Daniel Carr Later Hired in Colorado
The certification controversy has also raised questions about whether officers associated with the investigation could obtain law enforcement employment outside New Mexico.
Target 7 previously reported that former Albuquerque Police Department officer Daniel Carr obtained employment with the Durango Police Department in Colorado after leaving APD.
Carr was not criminally charged in the DWI Enterprise case and, according to Target 7, did not have an LEA-90 misconduct report filed against him. However, Carr was placed on a Bernalillo County Giglio disclosure list concerning potential credibility information relevant to criminal prosecutions.
After Target 7 contacted Durango officials regarding Carr’s history, the department placed him on administrative leave. He later resigned, according to the station.
Placement on a Giglio-related disclosure list is not itself a criminal conviction and does not establish criminal wrongdoing. Such lists generally concern information prosecutors may be legally required to disclose to defense attorneys when the credibility of a government witness could be material to a case.
What Happens When an Officer Loses Certification?
Revocation of a New Mexico law enforcement certification generally prevents an individual from serving as a certified law enforcement officer within the state unless the certification is subsequently restored through an applicable legal or administrative process.
A New Mexico revocation does not automatically impose a nationwide prohibition on law enforcement employment because other states operate their own certification and licensing systems.
However, Day told KOAT that obtaining law enforcement employment elsewhere can become significantly more difficult after an officer loses certification because a prospective agency must evaluate the circumstances surrounding the prior disciplinary action.
Criminal and Administrative Proceedings Are Separate
The widening scandal now involves several distinct legal and administrative processes that should not be conflated:
- Federal criminal cases: Determine criminal responsibility for defendants charged or pleading guilty to federal offenses.
- Internal affairs investigations: Determine whether agency employees violated departmental policies or rules.
- Certification proceedings: Determine whether an officer remains eligible to hold New Mexico law enforcement certification.
- Giglio disclosures: Concern information potentially affecting an officer’s credibility as a witness and prosecutors’ disclosure obligations.
An outcome in one of these processes does not necessarily establish the outcome of another.
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Current Status
As of August 25, 2026, the DWI Enterprise case remains an active matter involving federal criminal proceedings and state administrative consequences.
- KOAT reports that 22 officers across APD, BCSO and New Mexico State Police have been implicated in the broader investigation.
- Ten officers have pleaded guilty in federal court, according to Target 7’s August 24, 2026 reporting.
- Attorney Thomas Clear III has pleaded guilty to nine federal charges connected with the enterprise.
- Ricardo Mendez pleaded guilty to eight federal counts and admitted participating in the scheme beginning at least in 2008.
- Several officers are facing or have faced proceedings concerning their New Mexico law enforcement certifications.
- Some officers who have faced administrative scrutiny have not been criminally charged.
- Federal sentencing proceedings for multiple defendants remain pending or scheduled, with court dates subject to change.
The August 2026 certification developments therefore represent a continuation of the same investigation that became public in January 2024 and produced the first federal guilty plea in January 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the certification scandal and the Albuquerque DWI Enterprise criminal case the same investigation?
Yes. The certification proceedings involve officers implicated in the same broader DWI Enterprise investigation involving APD, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico State Police, Thomas Clear and Ricardo Mendez. The certification cases are administrative proceedings arising from alleged or admitted conduct uncovered through the broader investigation; they are not separate criminal prosecutions.
What was the alleged purpose of the DWI Enterprise?
Federal records describe a system in which participating officers helped manipulate DWI criminal or administrative proceedings, including intentionally failing to appear at required proceedings, while defendants were represented by Clear. Federal plea agreements describe payments, referrals, gifts and other benefits associated with the arrangement.
When did the scheme begin?
Mendez admitted participating beginning at least in 2008. Clear later admitted that his involvement in the DWI bribery enterprise began around 1995.
Was Thomas Clear ever charged?
Yes. Older reporting from January 2025 correctly stated that Clear had not yet been charged at that time. On February 12, 2025, federal charges were filed and Clear pleaded guilty to nine counts involving racketeering conspiracy, bribery and extortion-related offenses.
How many officers have pleaded guilty?
According to KOAT Target 7’s August 24, 2026 report, 10 officers have pleaded guilty in federal court in connection with the DWI Enterprise investigation.
Does an officer have to be criminally charged before New Mexico can revoke certification?
No. Criminal prosecution and professional certification are separate processes. The state certification board may review qualifying misconduct under its administrative authority even when an officer has not been criminally prosecuted. An administrative action, however, should not be characterized as a criminal conviction.
Does losing New Mexico certification prevent an officer from becoming a police officer in another state?
Not automatically. Other states maintain their own licensing and certification standards. A prior revocation or disciplinary history may nevertheless be considered by another state certification authority or prospective law enforcement employer.
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