Jamie Estrada pleads not guilty in Gov’s hijacked e-mail case

ALBUQUERQUE – It only took a matter of minutes Monday, but the man facing federal felony charges of hijacking an e-mail account belonging to Gov. Susana Martinez officially pleaded not guilty.

Appearing in front of of U.S. District Court Judge Lorenzo Garcia, Jamie Estrada, through his attorney Zachary Ives, said he is “not guilty of all charges” related to 12 counts of illegally accessing the e-mail account used in the 2010 Martinez gubernatorial campaign and two counts of making false statements to the FBI.

Estrada did not speak to reporters, but after the court appearance, Ives said, “Jamie Estrada is not guilty of all charges. This is the very beginning of the legal process that will allow us to expose legal and factual problems with the government’s case.”

When asked by New Mexico Watchdog to elaborate, Ives said he wouldn’t comment further.

Estrada has been booked by the U.S. Marshall’s office and released Estrada on his own recognizance. Garcia said the upcoming trial of the former Martinez campaign employee and 2010 Republican candidate for the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission will be assigned to U.S. District Court Judge William P. Johnson. A deadline for filing motions has been set for July 8.

The Estrada trial figures to be one of the most talked about political events in recent years for New Mexico, involving major figures from both political parties.

In addition, Jason Loera, a former employee of a number of Democratic Party candidates, officials and causes, faces indictments on charges of downloading and possessing child pornography. FBI agents say they found the pornography while searching Loera’s computer while investigating e-mail controversy.

Loera has not been charged in the e-mail scandal, but the FBI claims Loera had access to the stolen e-mails through Estrada and allegedly passed them on to the governor’s political opponents. Loera used to work for a political action committee run by Sam Bregman, an Albuquerque lawyer, chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico and a harsh Martinez critic.

Loera was arrested in California, and New Mexico Watchdog has learned he will appear before a judge Tuesday in Los Angeles and is expected to be returned to New Mexico, where the charges originated.

Estrada briefly served as campaign manager for Martinez in her successful run for governor in 2010. Estrada says he left the campaign under good circumstances, but Martinez says she fired him after she said Estrada was looking at her personal e-mails.

After leaving the campaign, prosecutors allege Estrada used password and username information to change the computer account and intercepted messages by Martinez administration employees after the governor took office. Martinez claims Estrada turned against her after he was not given a cabinet position.

Estrada, meanwhile, said in his only statement since the indictments were announced that “I have not broken any laws or done anything improper.”

He then added the charges are based on accusations from people in the Martinez administration who are “com(ing) after me in an attempt to divert attention from their own improper actions, including the suspected Albuquerque Downs Racino bid rigging.”

That’s in reference to a controversial 25-year lease with the owners of the Downs at Albuquerque to operate a racino and construct an estimated $20 million casino on the grounds of the New Mexico State Fair. Martinez critics say it was an inside job while supporters say it was an open bidding process awarded to the best available contractor.

Contact Rob Nikolewski at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @robnikolewski