Duran Pleads Guilty

Republican Secretary of State of New Mexico pleads guilty to fraud, embezzlement

Dianna Duran pleaded guilty to some of the charges against her. (Thomas Ragan)

By Thomas Ragan

October 23, 2015 at 7:20 am MDT

Embattled Secretary of State Dianna Duran pleads guilty on Friday to embezzlement and fraud charges in connection with spending nearly a half-million dollars in campaign contributions at a host of New Mexico casinos, including a few just outside of Santa Fe.

Last month, Duran pleaded not guilty to a 64-count complaint before State District Judge T Glenn Ellington, but late Thursday night, she resigned from her position in the capital city and then hours later copped to the misappropriation of more than $400,000 at a court session that had been scheduled as a preliminary hearing.

Duran, a two-term Republican who served nearly two decades in the state Senate, came under scrutiny by the state attorney general's office more than a year ago after an investigation revealed that she was depositing campaign contributions into her personal bank account, then withdrawing the money at ATMs at local casinos, some of them here in Northern New Mexico.

In her initial campaign for the position of Secretary of State on the Republican ticket, Duran had promised to clean up the office, which over the years had been beset by corruption.

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