Former Bernalillo County firefighter convicted in 2022 rape case

A jury on Tuesday found a former Bernalillo County firefighter accused in multiple rape cases spanning three decades guilty of kidnapping and sexual assault in a 2022 case.

Celso Montano, 49, was found guilty on one charge of kidnapping, three counts of criminal sexual penetration, one count of aggravated battery leading to great bodily harm, and intimidation of a witness via telephone. Montano faces up to 52 years in the New Mexico Corrections Department.

Montano’s attorney could not be reached for comment.

“Montano has spent decades preying on the most vulnerable women in our community,” Deputy District Attorney Savannah Brandenburg-Koch, who leads the DA’s Special Victims Unit, said in a statement. “Now he’s finally being held accountable.”

On April 30, 2022, Montano kidnapped and confined a woman with the intent of inflicting sexual harm against her, according to court documents. Court records detail Montano sexually abused the woman, including with a metal object.

Montano harassed the victim for two years after, and threatened her or offered to give her “anything of value” to keep her from reporting him to law enforcement officers, according to court records.

“We are thankful for the survivor’s bravery for following this case to the end and getting justice,” said Deputy District Attorney Jack Jacks.

This is the first time Montano has been convicted of rape, but it was one of several such cases filed against him since the ‘90s. In two of the prior cases he was initially charged with rape but pleaded guilty/no contest to aggravated battery, patronizing prostitution and criminal sexual contact.

Court records show at least one case against Montano was dropped due to prosecutors missing deadlines. Two others were dismissed because the women who accused him died before trial.

Montano has no more criminal cases pending against him, according to online court records.