Otero County, NM - On October 9, 2018, The New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau opened an investigation into Joseph Andrew Gonzalez (25) of El Paso, TX for fraudulently claiming hours on his time card that he did not work.
The investigation began when Gonzalez's supervisor noticed a discrepancy between the number of traffic citations Gonzalez was claiming to have written versus the number of citations he actually wrote. As the investigation progressed, evidence was uncovered that supported the claim of fraudulent activity. Gonzalez was immediately placed on standard administrative leave on October 26, 2018. During the intense four-month long investigation, agents learned that from January 2018 through August 2018, Gonzalez falsely claimed to have worked and written over six hundred traffic citations.
On February 7, 2019 State Police agents filed a criminal complaint in Otero County Magistrate Court, charging Gonzalez with five felony counts of Receiving Public Money for Services Not Rendered and one felony count of Forgery. Gonzalez is facing discipline, including up to termination.
Gonzalez has been employed with State Police since May of 2016 and was stationed in Alamogordo. The New Mexico State Police holds its officers to the highest standard of conduct and does not tolerate dishonesty or betrayal of the public trust by those sworn to protect it.
