Jamie Estrada Set to Enter New Plea

Hearing scheduled Monday for campaign manager accused of hijacking Gov. Susana Martinez' email

Jamie Estrada is set to enter a new plea on criminal charges that he hijacked Gov. Susana Martinez' campaign emails and lied to federal agents about it.

Estrada is scheduled to appear before federal Magistrate Judge Lorenzo F. Garcia in a hearing Monday to change his plea on 16 federal counts, according to a new filing in the case. A spokeswoman for the Office of the New Mexico US Attorney confirmed the hearing.

Estrada previously pleaded not guilty on all 16 federal counts that accused him of illegally hijacking the emails from the campaign accounts of Martinez and her campaign staffers then lying to FBI authorities about it.

A plea deal would mean no jury trial in the case. The trial was scheduled to begin in July.

Estrada is Gov. Martinez' former campaign manager. He had a falling out with Martinez after his departure from the campaign in December 2009.

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