Former judge, wife arrested in Las Cruces on federal charges

LAS CRUCES — Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy, were arrested by FBI agents Thursday afternoon on federal charges of tampering with evidence.

Joel Cano, 67, resigned from the bench last month, days after a Feb. 28 raid at his Las Cruces home ended in the arrest of three Venezuelan men who had been living in a studio on the property.

The New Mexico Judicial Standards Commission had begun an inquiry into the incident, resulting in Cano’s resignation with a stipulation that he would not seek judicial office in New Mexico again.

He and Nancy Cano, 68, were booked into Doña Ana County Detention Center between 6:30 and 7 p.m., where they are being held without bond pending federal court appearances. No criminal complaint was available Thursday evening.

All three of the men arrested on the Canos’ property reportedly have immigration cases pending and have been accused of involvement in the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, an allegation Cano called “highly sensationalized and without merit” in his response to the JSC.

Cano also wrote that his wife had facilitated their appearances for immigration court and appointments with their legal counsel, and said the trio had become “a meaningful part of our extended family,” involved in community events and working on obtaining work authorization while their cases were pending.

Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, one of three men, has been charged with being an alien in possession of a firearm based on social media posts showing the 23-year-old holding a variety of guns at a shooting range as well as in a home where the Canos are seen.

A federal search warrant suggested the firearms may have belonged to daughter April Cano, who lives next door to Joel and Nancy Cano.

Ortega-Lopez remains in custody at the jail ahead of a detention hearing in New Mexico District Court on April 30.

Joel Cano served with the Las Cruces Police Department for nearly 23 years before first being elected, as a Democrat, to the Doña Ana County Magistrate Court in 2010.