Salsa swindler sentenced to prison

Category: Non-Local News Releases Non-Local News Releases
Published: 15 October 2019 15 October 2019

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department Superintendent Marguerite Salazar announced Tuesday that Eduardo Triste (a.k.a. Edward Cristo) of Las Cruces, New Mexico was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay $65,966.83 in restitution for defrauding a 70-year- old Orange County, California woman who he persuaded to invest in his fictitious salsa company.

Triste was convicted of Fraud over $20,000 and Securities Fraud by a Doña Ana County jury in July of this year. Additionally, Triste admitted to a prior felony conviction and was sentenced as a habitual offender.

“We are here to protect New Mexico investors. Fraudulent activity in our community will not be tolerated and we will pursue all actions to keep
investors safe in our state,” stated Salazar.

Triste began a romantic, long-distance relationship with the woman over the telephone and kept her interest by falsely claiming to have been a Major in the United States Marines and a prisoner of war with the late Senator John McCain. Shortly thereafter, Triste began to solicit investments from the woman and represented to her that she stood to receive a one-third stake in his salsa company. However, Triste never disclosed to her that he was on probation for a previous fraud conviction and was using her money to repay the prior criminal
judgment.

“Securities fraud is a serious offense, and we are pleased with the message this sends to other would-be scam artists,” said Securities Division Director Matthew Bouillon Mascareñas.

An investigation by the Securities Division revealed that Triste had no registered business in New Mexico of any kind and used most of the money for personal expenses.

The case was prosecuted by the Securities Division and the Office of Third Judicial District Attorney Mark D’Antonio.

The Regulation and Licensing Department’s Securities Division protects New Mexicans from fraud and financial abuse by licensing
investment professionals, registering securities offerings made in the state, offering fraud prevention and educational programs to the public, and investigating fraud and other violations of state securities laws. To New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department learn more about investment fraud, visit the division’s website at redflagsnm.com or call (800) 704-5533.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.