Written by: Sam Orlando
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO – The FBI has intensified its investigation into a growing scandal involving police corruption in Albuquerque, executing a search warrant at the office of a well-known local defense attorney, Thomas Clear III. This development comes as the legal and law enforcement communities grapple with the fallout, including the dismissal of over 150 DWI cases and several police officers being placed on leave.
Clear, who has been practicing law for over four decades with a focus on criminal defense, also resigned from his position as chairman of the state Public Defender Commission on Friday, a role he has held since August 2017. The commission, an 11-member panel, oversees the New Mexico Law Offices of the Public Defender.
Residents near Clear’s office, which is situated in a house in a Northeast Albuquerque neighborhood, reported witnessing FBI agents forcibly entering the building early Thursday, removing the front door with crowbars, and spending hours removing files and other items. By Friday, the visibly damaged door was temporarily fixed with large wooden boards.