Ex-Sec. of State Duran accepts sentence in fraud case

Former Secretary of State Dianna Duran has accepted the sentence imposed by a district judge for misusing campaign funds to pay off casino debts.

Judge T. Glenn Ellington sentenced Duran to 30 days in jail, five years of supervised probation and to pay $14,000 in restitution to campaign donors and contributors.

Duran took a plea deal in October and pleaded guilty to six of the 65 counts against her, including embezzlement, money laundering and identity theft. She resigned from her post the same day.

Duran had until noon on Wednesday to withdraw her plea or accept the sentence.

“With the same resolve with which Ms. Duran swiftly accepted responsibility, she will accept the sentence of the court,” defense attorney Erlinda Johnson wrote in an email to KOB.

New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas, whose office investigated the case against Duran, issued the following statement Wednesday after Duran agreed to accept her plea deal and go to jail:

“My office investigated, charged and negotiated a resolution that contemplated the Court using its discretion to impose up to 8 ½ years of incarceration. Our recommendation was only a baseline and gave the court full discretion to sentence up to 8 ½ years. We must respect the Court’s ability to exercise judicial discretion.”

Duran released the first of her court-ordered letters to New Mexicans Wednesday afternoon in the Las Cruces Bulletin:

December 16, 2016

Dear New Mexicans,

I cannot begin to express how deeply sorry I am for my transgressions and the damage I caused to the public’s trust in public officials. I only hope the people of the state of New Mexico will move forward and someday forgive my actions which were not borne out of greed but rather a result of very tragic personal circumstances which led to some very poor decisions on my part. I have not made excuses for my actions. I have simply tried to explain the circumstances which led to my transgressions. I only hope the people of this great state find it within themselves to forgive me.

Sincerely, Dianna J. Duran