Disgraced Albuquerque lawyer let off the hook in construction zone speeding case
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On the Albuquerque police officer's lapel camera video, you can see him use his radar gun and then frantically move his hands, telling the approaching driver to slow down. He just caught that driver speeding 14 miles per hour over the speed limit, in a construction zone. The officer approached the vehicle and found longtime criminal defense Attorney Thomas Clear III in the driver's seat. Clear was told that he was driving 39 miles per hour in a 25 miles per hour zone.
The traffic stop happened on February 11. At that point, it was known that federal agents had raided Clear's law office a year earlier, suspecting he had been paying off officers to get his drunk driving clients' cases dismissed. As the officer walked away to write up the speeding ticket, it was evident he recognized who he had just pulled over. What he didn't know was that the very next day, Clear would accept a plea deal in federal court, admitting to the suspected scheme. The longtime attorney pleaded guilty to bribing police officers over the past 30 years, in what has come to be known as the 'DWI Enterprise.'
It's a criminal conspiracy that Clear told federal investigators involved paying DWI officers from around the Albuquerque metro to either not file charges or not appear in court, allowing drunk drivers to avoid any consequences.
On April 4, the City of Albuquerque granted Clear the same relief. He requested a hearing for the speeding ticket, rather than paying it on the spot. Clear received a plea deal from the city attorney. Per the agreement, Clear is just on the hook for the court costs, $24. The ticket would've cost him an additional $60. The judge said that if he avoids any traffic or criminal violations for the next 90 days, the speeding ticket will not appear on his record.
Having helped countless dangerous drivers stay on the road, KRQE Investigative Report Ann Pierret asked the city why Clear gets to avoid any consequences when he's the bad driver. She was told a deferred sentence is not unusual in traffic cases. Clear qualified for it because he didn't have a traffic violation in the last decade.
Shortly after Clear pled guilty to nine federal charges in the DWI scheme, both the federal and state bars moved to revoke his law license. As part of his federal plea, Clear also gave up his law office to the feds. The now-disbarred Clear faces up to 130 years in prison.
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