Second MVD employee sentenced in embezzlement

FORT SUMNER — The second of two Motor Vehicle Department employees charged in January with embezzling thousands from customers was sentenced last week to 4 1/2 years probation and a restitution order per a plea agreement.

Tianna Gallegos, 25, pleaded guilty Nov. 29 to embezzlement and conspiracy (over $2,500), third and fourth-degree felonies, respectively.

10th Judicial District Judge Albert Mitchell Jr. sentenced her to a total of four years and six months imprisonment, suspended in favor of supervised probation, as well as two years on parole and to pay back $9,191.85 at a rate of 20 percent per year.

Mitchell also presided over the October plea hearing for Alisha Segura, 34, who was sentenced to five years probation and ordered restitution on $30,000 over the course of that time. Both women were charged in connection with a state police investigation scrutinizing transactions at the De Baca County MVD for much of the years 2015 and 2016. Gallegos joined the MVD later than Segura, but both were accused voiding cash transactions on registrations, titles and driver licenses while pocketing the money.

“You are getting a heck of an opportunity,” Mitchell told Gallegos during last month’s plea hearing, according to court records.

Prosecutor Ozymandias Adams with the 10th Judicial District said the sentencing was “pretty much how I anticipated it would fall out,” but that he hoped the repayments would be fulfilled faithfully.

“It’s not unusual in essentially white-collar crimes for people who have little to no prior convictions, it’s pretty typical to get probation,” he said. “I’m interested to see how serious they are about restitution. They put the village in a really bad place.”

Attempts last week to reach Gallegos’ defense attorney Tomas Benavidez were not successful.