Downs was a sour deal for Laguna

Laguna Pueblo’s failure in Louisiana didn’t garner much press — unlike its earlier foray into off-reservation gaming when it submitted a proposal to take over and rebuild the racino at Expo New Mexico at the state fairgrounds in 2011.

On a highly disputed 4-3 vote, the State Fair Commission awarded a 25-year lease to the Downs at Albuquerque to build a casino adjacent to the existing State Fair race track, selecting it over a proposal by Laguna Development.

Opponents accused Republican Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration of directing the lease to the Downs group because of political contributions and support by two heavyweight Louisiana Republicans and the hiring of people close to the administration.

Laguna Development protested the award but lost, and a separate two-year review by Democrat Attorney General Hector Balderas found only minor objections to the process leading to the award of the lease to the Downs at Albuquerque.

Controversies from the lease process continued through the first several years of Martinez’s administration, including the theft of her former campaign website and email account by her former campaign manager, Jamie Estrada.

Emails intercepted by Estrada, including some having to do with the Downs lease, were published by Martinez opponents.

Estrada pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of intercepting an electronic communication and was sentenced to a year in prison in connection with the hijacking of the website.

A lawsuit filed by several people whose emails were published was eventually settled out of court.