Solomon Peña, who was described as the “mastermind” behind a series of targeted shootings at the homes and offices of elected officials in Albuquerque has been indicted alongside two of his accomplices by a federal grand jury.
Peña himself has been charged with conspiracy, four counts of interference with federally protected activities and four counts of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
41-year-old Demetrio Trujillo and 22-year-old Jose Trujillo were also charged with conspiracy, four counts of interference with federally protected activities and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
The younger Trujillo is also facing additional charges of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams and more of fentanyl and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
If all three men are convicted of these offenses, they will all face up to life in prison.
FBI Special Agent In Charge Raul Bujanda credited the collaboration between law enforcement agencies at every level during this investigation and said the indictments handed out on Wednesday are a sign to anyone considering interfering with the election system, to reconsider their actions.
“If you do anything to impede our electoral process or just violent crime in general, we will do everything possible to make sure you pay for those offenses and it’s only a matter of time, you will pay for those offenses.”
Peña had initially run for District 14 of the New Mexico House of Representatives during the November 2022 midterm election.
Following his defeat to Democrat Miguel Garica by more than 3,600 votes, Peña used his Twitter account as a platform to deny the results of his election.
He also made several unannounced visits to the homes of Bernalillo County Commissioners Debbie O’Malley and Adriann Barboa and State Senator Linda Lopez, all of whom had shots fired at their homes.