Latest news with #SolomonPena
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Failed Republican candidate jailed for 80 years over gun attacks on Democrats' homes
Solomon Pena was convicted of 13 felony charges for attacks on four officials, including the state house speaker. Photo: Screengrab A failed Republican candidate in New Mexico has been jailed for 80 years for contracting gunmen to carry out drive-by shootings on the homes of Democratic officials, after his 2022 election defeat. Solomon Pena orchestrated the attacks in Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest city, weeks after losing his bid for a state house seat. He was driven by conspiracy theories he had been a victim of election fraud, federal prosecutors said. Pena was convicted of 13 felony charges earlier this year for attacks on four officials in December 2022 and January 2023, including the current state house speaker. No-one was hurt in the shootings, which followed other politically motivated violence, such as the hammer attack on the husband of US Representative Nancy Pelosi. "Violence and intimidation have no place in our elections," US Attorney for New Mexico Ryan Ellison said following the sentencing. Pena's lawyer, Nicholas Hart, said his client would appeal the conviction. Two men who said they were hired by Pena for the attacks pleaded guilty in 2024. After he failed to be elected, Pena pressured members of the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners not to certify the results. When they refused, Pena recruited Jose Trujillo and Demetrio Trujillo to carry out the shootings, prosecutors said. False and unfounded claims of election fraud exploded, after President Donald Trump refused to accept defeat in the 2020 US presidential election. - Reuters
USA Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Failed GOP candidate jailed over gun attacks on Democrats' homes
Aug 13 (Reuters) - A failed Republican candidate in New Mexico was jailed for 80 years on Wednesday for contracting gunmen to carry out drive-by shootings on the homes of Democratic officials after his 2022 election defeat. Solomon Pena orchestrated the attacks in Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest city, weeks after losing his bid for a state house seat. He was driven by conspiracy theories he had been a victim of election fraud, federal prosecutors said. Pena was convicted of 13 felony charges earlier this year for attacks on four officials in December 2022 and January 2023, including the current state house speaker. No one was hurt in the shootings, which followed other politically motivated violence such as the hammer attack on the husband of U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi. "Violence and intimidation have no place in our elections," U.S. Attorney for New Mexico Ryan Ellison said in a statement following the sentencing. Pena's lawyer Nicholas Hart said his client would appeal the conviction. More: Ex-GOP candidate tied to shootings at NM lawmakers' homes appears in court: What to know about the case Two men who said they were hired by Pena for the attacks pleaded guilty in 2024. After he failed to be elected, Pena pressured members of the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners not to certify the results. When they refused, Pena recruited Jose Trujillo and Demetrio Trujillo to carry out the shootings, prosecutors said. More: Court papers reveal details on former Republican candidate linked to shootings at New Mexico lawmakers' homes False and unfounded claims of election fraud exploded after President Donald Trump refused to accept defeat in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. (Reporting By Andrew Hay; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Failed Republican candidate jailed 80 years over gun attacks on Democrats' homes
Solomon Pena was convicted of 13 felony charges for attacks on four officials, including the state house speaker. Photo: Screengrab A failed Republican candidate in New Mexico has been jailed for 80 years for contracting gunmen to carry out drive-by shootings on the homes of Democratic officials, after his 2022 election defeat. Solomon Pena orchestrated the attacks in Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest city, weeks after losing his bid for a state house seat. He was driven by conspiracy theories he had been a victim of election fraud, federal prosecutors said. Pena was convicted of 13 felony charges earlier this year for attacks on four officials in December 2022 and January 2023, including the current state house speaker. No-one was hurt in the shootings, which followed other politically motivated violence, such as the hammer attack on the husband of US Representative Nancy Pelosi. "Violence and intimidation have no place in our elections," US Attorney for New Mexico Ryan Ellison said following the sentencing. Pena's lawyer, Nicholas Hart, said his client would appeal the conviction. Two men who said they were hired by Pena for the attacks pleaded guilty in 2024. After he failed to be elected, Pena pressured members of the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners not to certify the results. When they refused, Pena recruited Jose Trujillo and Demetrio Trujillo to carry out the shootings, prosecutors said. False and unfounded claims of election fraud exploded, after President Donald Trump refused to accept defeat in the 2020 US presidential election. - Reuters
UPI
6 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
Failed GOP candidate gets 80 yrs for shooting at political adversaries
Aug. 14 (UPI) -- A failed GOP candidate in New Mexico has been sentenced to 80 years behind bars for orchestrating a shooting spree targeting his perceived political adversaries following his defeat in the 2022 midterm elections, which he believed was rigged against him. Solomon Pena, 42, was sentenced Wednesday, to 960 months in prison, a fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release, the Justice Department said in a statement. "Violence and intimidation have no place in our elections," U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison said. "This sentence shows that through the tireless work of our agents and prosecutors, we will protect our democracy and bring offenders to justice." A federal jury convicted Pena in March of one count of conspiracy, four counts of intimidation and interference with federally protected activities and several firearms charges, as well as three counts of solicitation to commit a crime of violence. Pena ran as a Republican for the District 14 seat in the New Mexico House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections, and was handily defeated by Democrat Miguel Garcia, who secured 74% of the vote. "I never conceded my HD 14 race," he said in a statement published to what was then called Twitter, now X, following the election, with a picture of himself wearing a red "Make America Great Again" sweatshirt and flags supporting Donald Trump's 2024 re-election campaign. "Now researching my options," he said. Following the election, the failed political candidate cried foul and was accused of pressuring members of the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners not to certify the results. Authorities said he had visited several of their homes to lodge complaints over voter fraud and election rigging. When they did not acquiesce to his demands, Pena turned violent. Shortly after he visited the commissioners, several of their homes were shot at between Dec. 4, 2022, and Jan. 3, 2023 -- specifically, the home of Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa on Dec. 4, New Mexico House Speaker Javier Martinez on Dec. 8, former Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie O'Malley on Dec. 11 and State Sen. Linda Lopez on Jan. 3. Pena was arrested mid-January 2023 amid a hunt for a suspect. Inside his vehicle, authorities found two guns, 800 fentanyl pills and cash. Federal prosecutors said the shootings were the product of a conspiracy involving four men Pena paid to shoot up their houses. The prosecutors also said that while in jail, he tried to solicit inmates to murder witnesses to prevent their testimony during his trial. Two co-conspirators -- Jose Trujillo and Demetrio Trujillo -- previously pleaded guilty to their involvement in the crime, with the former being sentenced to 37 months in prison and the latter, 180 months.
The Advertiser
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
US man jailed 80 years for attacks on Democrats' homes
A failed Republican candidate in New Mexico has been jailed for 80 years for contracting gunmen to carry out drive-by shootings on the homes of Democratic officials after his 2022 election defeat. Solomon Pena orchestrated the attacks in Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest city, weeks after losing his bid for a state house seat. He was driven by conspiracy theories he had been a victim of election fraud, federal prosecutors said. Pena was convicted of 13 felony charges earlier in 2025 for attacks on four officials in December 2022 and January 2023, including the current state house speaker. No one was hurt in the shootings, which followed other politically motivated violence such as the hammer attack on the husband of US Representative Nancy Pelosi. "Violence and intimidation have no place in our elections," US Lawyer for New Mexico Ryan Ellison said in a statement following the sentencing on Wednesday. Pena's lawyer Nicholas Hart said his client would appeal the conviction. Two men who said they were hired by Pena for the attacks pleaded guilty in 2024. After he failed to be elected, Pena pressured members of the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners not to certify the results. When they refused, Pena recruited Jose Trujillo and Demetrio Trujillo to carry out the shootings, prosecutors said. False and unfounded claims of election fraud exploded after President Donald Trump refused to accept defeat in the 2020 US presidential election. A failed Republican candidate in New Mexico has been jailed for 80 years for contracting gunmen to carry out drive-by shootings on the homes of Democratic officials after his 2022 election defeat. Solomon Pena orchestrated the attacks in Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest city, weeks after losing his bid for a state house seat. He was driven by conspiracy theories he had been a victim of election fraud, federal prosecutors said. Pena was convicted of 13 felony charges earlier in 2025 for attacks on four officials in December 2022 and January 2023, including the current state house speaker. No one was hurt in the shootings, which followed other politically motivated violence such as the hammer attack on the husband of US Representative Nancy Pelosi. "Violence and intimidation have no place in our elections," US Lawyer for New Mexico Ryan Ellison said in a statement following the sentencing on Wednesday. Pena's lawyer Nicholas Hart said his client would appeal the conviction. Two men who said they were hired by Pena for the attacks pleaded guilty in 2024. After he failed to be elected, Pena pressured members of the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners not to certify the results. When they refused, Pena recruited Jose Trujillo and Demetrio Trujillo to carry out the shootings, prosecutors said. False and unfounded claims of election fraud exploded after President Donald Trump refused to accept defeat in the 2020 US presidential election. A failed Republican candidate in New Mexico has been jailed for 80 years for contracting gunmen to carry out drive-by shootings on the homes of Democratic officials after his 2022 election defeat. Solomon Pena orchestrated the attacks in Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest city, weeks after losing his bid for a state house seat. He was driven by conspiracy theories he had been a victim of election fraud, federal prosecutors said. Pena was convicted of 13 felony charges earlier in 2025 for attacks on four officials in December 2022 and January 2023, including the current state house speaker. No one was hurt in the shootings, which followed other politically motivated violence such as the hammer attack on the husband of US Representative Nancy Pelosi. "Violence and intimidation have no place in our elections," US Lawyer for New Mexico Ryan Ellison said in a statement following the sentencing on Wednesday. Pena's lawyer Nicholas Hart said his client would appeal the conviction. Two men who said they were hired by Pena for the attacks pleaded guilty in 2024. After he failed to be elected, Pena pressured members of the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners not to certify the results. When they refused, Pena recruited Jose Trujillo and Demetrio Trujillo to carry out the shootings, prosecutors said. False and unfounded claims of election fraud exploded after President Donald Trump refused to accept defeat in the 2020 US presidential election. A failed Republican candidate in New Mexico has been jailed for 80 years for contracting gunmen to carry out drive-by shootings on the homes of Democratic officials after his 2022 election defeat. Solomon Pena orchestrated the attacks in Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest city, weeks after losing his bid for a state house seat. He was driven by conspiracy theories he had been a victim of election fraud, federal prosecutors said. Pena was convicted of 13 felony charges earlier in 2025 for attacks on four officials in December 2022 and January 2023, including the current state house speaker. No one was hurt in the shootings, which followed other politically motivated violence such as the hammer attack on the husband of US Representative Nancy Pelosi. "Violence and intimidation have no place in our elections," US Lawyer for New Mexico Ryan Ellison said in a statement following the sentencing on Wednesday. Pena's lawyer Nicholas Hart said his client would appeal the conviction. Two men who said they were hired by Pena for the attacks pleaded guilty in 2024. After he failed to be elected, Pena pressured members of the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners not to certify the results. When they refused, Pena recruited Jose Trujillo and Demetrio Trujillo to carry out the shootings, prosecutors said. False and unfounded claims of election fraud exploded after President Donald Trump refused to accept defeat in the 2020 US presidential election.
