Federal judge disbars Albuquerque attorney who led DWI racketeering scheme

A defense attorney who admitted to paying off law enforcement to let DWI cases get dismissed can no longer practice law in New Mexico.

Chief U.S. District Judge Kenneth Gonzales on Thursday permanently disbarred Thomas Clear III more than a month after he was temporarily suspended from practicing law.

“The Court subsequently notified Mr. Clear that it appears that disbarment is the appropriate discipline in this case due to the nature of Mr. Clear’s conduct,” according to the order filed in U.S. District Court in New Mexico.

In the past few months, Clear, his paralegal Ricardo “Rick” Mendez, three Albuquerque officers and one Bernalillo County deputy took plea deals in one of the largest public corruption cases to hit New Mexico.

Clear and Mendez admitted to running a racketeering scheme for decades, bribing officers and deputies to let their clients off the hook, according to plea agreements. The officers and deputy admitted to taking bribes from the pair to miss hearings and other case requirements, leading to dismissal.

So far, more than a dozen Albuquerque officers, a deputy and undersheriff with Bernalillo County and a New Mexico State Police officer have been placed on paid leave or resigned after being tied to the FBI investigation into the corruption.

The judge had previously asked Clear to show cause as to why he shouldn’t be disbarred after he pleaded guilty to bribery, racketeering conspiracy, aiding and abetting, and interference with commerce by extortion.

In response, Clear waived his right to a hearing on the matter and said he “does not object to being disbarred for the conduct set forth in his plea agreement.”

Clear is not the only attorney who has been tied to the scheme.

Earlier this week, the state Supreme Court ruled to temporarily suspend Albuquerque attorney Rudolph Chavez from practicing law after an officer’s plea agreement alleged that he had participated in the scheme.

The court set an April 7 hearing to listen to oral arguments on a petition from the Disciplinary Board of the New Mexico Supreme Court seeking the suspension.

Chavez has not been criminally charged.

To date, more than 269 DWI cases have been dismissed by the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office because they were filed by the officers with the Albuquerque Police Department, New Mexico State Police and Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office under investigation.