Casanova Con Man Makes Campaign Appearance

Susana Martinez' gubernatorial campaign points aim at Gary King's role in early release of Michael Soutar

The Casanova Con Man "needed an insider—someone to get to Attorney General Gary King," states a radio advertisement released Tuesday by the gubernatorial campaign of Susana Martinez, "to get him out of prison."

The Republican incumbent's new radio spot takes aim at Democratic challenger King's role in the early release from a 34-year prison sentence of the recidivist felon Michael Soutar, whose history of charming women into relationships to gain access to their money earned him the nickname the Casanova Con Man. His frequent escapes from authorities also earned Soutar two appearances on America's Most Wanted.

In June, SFR published an investigation that scrutinized King's role in Soutar's early release from the 34-year prison sentence, handed down by a district judge here after a jury in 2007 convicted him on 10 felonies for defrauding investors who sank money into an art market he set up in Santa Fe.

In the ad, Martinez' camp focuses on the connection between King and Raymond Sanchez, King's former Democratic colleague in the New Mexico House of Representatives whom Soutar retained as his attorney to fight his conviction from the confines of a jail cell. "Casanova Con hired Gary King's political friend to lobby for early release," says an ominous male voice in the ad. "It worked. Gary King caved. And Casanova Con got out. After serving only five years. Only five years of a 34-year sentence. Gary King himself cut the deal, meeting in private with Casanova Con's lawyers."

While it was First Judicial District Court Judge Michael Vigil who ultimately agreed to Soutar's early release—or as the ad says "the deal"—emails show King writing that he "agreed with" Sanchez to pursue "mediation" in the case. Typically "mediation" only occurs in civil cases, not criminal cases.

During the March 2012 resentencing hearing, King's office ultimately agreed that Soutar had the right to ask the judge for reconsideration of his sentence, but said nothing about whether the judge should keep the escape artist and repeat con man behind bars. It was a sharp contrast to the position taken by the Regulation and Licensing Department's Securities Division, which jointly prosecuted Soutar with the Attorney General's Office in the 2007 case. Then-director of the Securities Division joined the former prosecutor in writing letters urging Judge Vigil to keep Soutar behind bars. The prosecutor, Patrick McNertney, now says the release sends a message to financial criminals that New Mexico is a state where they can buy their way out of prison.

King's office redacted several email exchanges related to communications between King and Sanchez when it produced internal documents about the case in response to a public records request made by James and Linda O'Hara. Soutar paid back $179,452 to some victims of his investment scheme, but not all the victims received financial restitution, like James O'Hara, a former employee of the market, and his brother, who lost $32,500 he invested in Soutar's scheme.

"Victims were outraged," says Martinez' ad. "But it was Casanova's best con. Because he knew Gary King stands for the powerful few—not us."

King spokesperson Phil Sisneros says the radio ad is "not even within the realm or universe of truth" and points to previous statements released by the King's office in the case. King's office has denied that the attorney general's relationship with Sanchez played a role in King's actions in the case. Officials stood by the office's role in the negotiations with Soutar's attorneys. But they have yet to explain why the very office that prosecuted the con man didn't fight for him to remain behind bars during the resentencing hearing.

"It’s just flat-out lies," says Sisneros.

Sisneros is taking a break from his full-time position as a spokesperson for the Attorney General's office to serve for King's campaign, which this week announced the departure of its third campaign manager all while enduring a

of attack ads financed by Martinez' $3.8 million warchest.

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