Santa Fe man gets nearly 6 years for firearm charge

A Santa Fe man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque to five years and 11 months in prison for possession of a firearm, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Derek Nicholas Padilla, 30, pleaded guilty in October to stealing dozens of firearms and a utility truck from a Bureau of Indian Affairs compound on Nambé Pueblo.

According to previous reports, Padilla was accused of dismantling security systems, breaking into buildings on the compound and stealing food and supply. He also dismantled a door and stole guns, marijuana and drugs from an evidence room. A charging document said that when Padilla was arrested he admitted to being a heroin addict.

Prior to his arrest on Oct. 14, Padilla had been charged in nine separate cases in Santa Fe magistrate and District Court since May 4, 2020.