Former county commissioner is sentenced to probation

Attorney General’s Office says politician got off too lightly for fourth-degree felony

Former Rio Arriba County Commissioner Barney Trujillo, convicted last month of violating the state’s procurement code for failing to disclose contributions to an Española school board member’s campaign, was sentenced to probation Tuesday.

Trujillo faced up to 18 months in jail on the fourth-degree felony conviction.

State District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer sentenced Trujillo to 18 months unsupervised probation with an opportunity for early release after nine months if there are no issues, attorney Kitren Fischer wrote in a message following the sentencing hearing Tuesday.

The judge also granted Trujillo a conditional discharge in the case, meaning if he successfully completes probation he will not have a felony conviction on his record, Fischer wrote.

“Barney is relieved to have closure on this matter after so many years in court,” Fischer wrote Tuesday. “He is grateful for the support of family, friends and colleagues who know his good character. Barney will continue to do great work for his community.”

The state Attorney General’s Office, which prosecuted the case, said the former politician got off too lightly.

“Our office is highly disappointed with the sentence, an elected official who committed a felony should not be treated as though they got a speeding ticket,” Attorney General’s Office spokesman Matt Baca wrote in an email Tuesday.

The case stemmed from Trujillo’s involvement with Española Public Schools more than five years ago.

Yolanda Salazar was elected to the school board there in 2015, and Trujillo had donated signs to her campaign on an in-kind basis.

Trujillo entered into a contract with the school district in July 2016. He was required to disclose any campaign contributions he gave to a public officials but failed to do so.

Trujillo, who at one time had a marketing services

contract with the district, was indicted by a grand jury in 2018.

Salazar resigned from the school board in June.

Trujillo said he did not disclose the contributions because he believed Salazar was not a public official at the time, he could put “N/A” throughout the campaign disclosure portion of the contract, according to the judge’s finding of facts and conclusions in the case.

He also said that because he was reimbursed for the campaign signs, he did not list them as campaign contributions, according the judge’s findings.

When asked last month after his conviction if Trujillo would be able to enter into future contracts with public agencies such as a public school system again, Attorney General Hector Balderas wrote in an email: “The Legislature must close the absurd loophole that allows a felon convicted of illegally obtaining a public contract to be back in business with another public contract in only 3 years.”

“He’s able to enter in public contracts although he has no desire to whatsoever,” Fischer wrote Tuesday.