Deputy Treasurer on Leave

Deputy Santa Fe County Treasurer Oliver Garcia, charged last week with multiple counts of misdemeanor fraud for his alleged involvement in a scheme having to do with counterfeit car wash vouchers, has been placed on paid administrative leave.

Garcia, who is running for county treasurer in the June Democratic primary, was removed from his duties Monday. His boss, Santa Fe County Treasurer Victor Montoya, has requested an internal investigation, County spokeswoman Kristine Mihelcic said.

Mihelcic relayed the information at the request of Montoya, who did not himself respond to a message left by the Journal. Montoya said Friday he believed Garcia’s claim that Garcia “didn’t do anything wrong.”

“My suspicion is this has something to do with politics,” Montoya said. “I see something like this, and I think that something is going on, so close to an election.”

Garcia earns about $63,524 a year and is an “at will” employee, meaning he can be fired at any time, according to the county’s website.

An employee at the treasurer’s office said Monday that Garcia has asked that inquiries be made through his attorney, Dan Marlowe. Marlowe did not return a message left by the Journal.

Garcia is accused of using photocopies of vouchers purchased by the treasurer’s office. The original vouchers, or coupons, were supposed to be used to clean county vehicles at the Oil Stop Drive Thru Oil Change and Car Wash on Cerrillos Road.

Garcia, 47, is accused of using the bogus vouchers to clean his own vehicle, as well as one belonging to his daughter, several times. The value of each coupon was $17. He told a Santa Fe police officer that his daughter bought them from “a Mexican male” at the Oil Stop, according to a police report.

Garcia also told the police it was a coincidence that the bogus vouchers he says his daughter purchased were copies of ones purchased by the treasurer’s office.

Two treasurer’s office employees are also named in the police report as possibly having used counterfeit vouchers to wash county owned vehicles, but they have not been charged. Garcia’s daughter has also not been charged.

The Santa Fe County Democratic Party has called on Garcia to withdraw his candidacy for county treasurer.

He is running against Patrick Varela, a state Department of Transportation physical plant manager and nephew of longtime state Rep. Luciano “Lucky” Varela.