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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Ken Schultz sentenced to five years probation and ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution.

Former Albuquerque Mayor Ken Schultz today was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to pay $50,000 restitution for his role in the Metropolitan Courthouse scandal.

Also sentenced this morning was Manuel Guara, a subcontractor on the audiovisual system. Guara was sentenced to three years probation, including six months home confinement, and $100,000 restitution. 

Schultz, who was elected mayor in 1985 after serving on the City Council in the early `80s, pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and conspiracy early in the scandal over the construction of the $83 million Metropolitan Court Complex — a scandal that took down former New Mexico Democratic powerhouse Manny Aragon.

The former mayor told The Associated Press in early 2007 that he played “only a minor role” in the scandal, and in a statement said “I look forward to the day in open court when my actions, for which I take responsibility, will be fully and fairly presented.”

For an in-depth look at Schultz’s role in the controversy, see this Albuquerque Journal article from May 6, 2007.