Embattled NM Secretary of State Dianna Duran Resigns

“We respect Dianna Duran’s decision to step down amid these recent accusations and help restore credibility to the Secretary of State’s Office”.

Prosecutors are recommending a sentence of five years of supervised probation, according to the plea agreement.

She added that she “never improperly used taxpayer resources, including money”. The complaint pointed to the discrepancy between Duran’s income and the amount of money she had spent at casinos.

In a packed Santa Fe District courtroom, Duran pleaded guilty to felony embezzlement charges and four misdemeanors. The rest were dismissed.

The agreement could permit Duran to avoid jail time and to keep her pension.

‘After today, citizens can be confident that Dianna Duran will no longer have supervisory control of public funds or the reporting process within the Secretary of State’s Office, ‘ said Balderas, a Democrat.

Under the agreement, the state would agree to a suspended sentence if Duran agreed not enter any casinos and undergo treatment for gambling addiction. Duran sidestepped questions Friday about whether she has a gambling problem.

Duran, a Republican in her second term, ran on eliminating what she said was rampant voter fraud in the state. She was indicted in 2009, two years after she left office.

Fresquez wrote that the intention of cancelling the meeting was to give Duran’s eventual replacement a chance to possibly revise the proposal. It would then be up to voters to pick a new secretary of state in November 2016. “Until the Governor has had an opportunity to make an appointment, Deputy Secretary of State Mary Quintana will serve as acting Secretary of State”.

A spokesman for New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez says she hopes to soon replace former Secretary of State Dianna Duran, who resigned abruptly amid a fraud investigation.

Duran pleaded guilty to embezzlement and other charges amid allegations she siphoned off thousands of dollars from her election account and withdrew the money at casinos around the state. “We will have a strong Democratic candidate that will take a hard look at the drop in voter participation in New Mexico as well as the other various issues facing the Secretary of State’s office”. “My office will continue to prosecute individuals who violate the public trust”.

House Speaker Don Tripp, R-Socorro, described Duran’s resignation as the “right thing” to do for New Mexico. They could have voted on impeachment during the 30-day session that starts in January.

It said, “In light of Secretary Duran’s resignation on Thursday evening, the Office of the Secretary of State has cancelled the rule making hearings scheduled for the morning of Friday, October 23, 2015”. Instead, she only reinforced New Mexico’s reputation for political corruption, eclipsing the misdeeds of her political predecessors.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Dianna Duran resigns after she was pressured by both Democrats and Republicans to step down from her position.