Money from ousted sheriff's scholarship fund to be returned

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Money collected under a program that a now-convicted New Mexico ex-sheriff set up to allow traffic violators to avoid penalties will be returned, federal prosecutors said Friday.

Officials "will seek to forfeit the funds either administratively or judicially," allowing donors to apply for a return, U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoman Elizabeth Martinez said in an email.

The FBI seized the $3,275 in donations as a result of a search warrant that said the funds were evidence in an extortion investigation, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican (http://bit.ly/1IpCqp3).

Former Rio Arriba County Sheriff Thomas Rodella was sentenced last month to 10 years in prison and fined $200,000 for abusing a driver in an off-duty traffic stop. His attorneys filed a notice of intent to appeal on Friday.

According to investigators, Rodella was letting some deputies give traffic violators the opportunity to have charges dropped in exchange for donations. Half of the 18 donations made were from people cited for traffic violations between December 2012 and April 2013, according to court documents. The contributions ranged from $75 to $500.

The fund was set up in 2011 by Rodella and Jake Arnold, a former public information officer for the sheriff's office. It purported to be geared toward students from Rio Arriba County who plan study for careers related to law enforcement, according to a search warrant filed Monday. No scholarships have ever been awarded. The investigation into the extortion is still ongoing, and no charges have been filed against anyone so far, Martinez said.

Rodella has had a long, troubled career in politics and law enforcement. He was elected sheriff in 2010, despite having been ousted as a magistrate judge by the state Supreme Court two years earlier for misconduct. The court barred him from running again for judicial office.

Then-Gov. Bill Richardson appointed Rodella as a magistrate in 2005. But Rodella resigned a few months later amid criticism - and pressure from Richardson - for helping secure the release of a family friend who was jailed for drunken driving.

As a state police officer, Rodella was disciplined for marijuana use, improper use of a weapon, falsifying official reports, abusing sick leave and using his position for personal gain.

His wife is Democratic state Rep. Debbie Rodella of Espanola.

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Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com