Southwest
Ex-New Mexico judge, wife who allegedly harbored illegal Tren de Aragua member released on bond
A former New Mexico judge and his wife, who are accused of harboring a Venezuelan gang member in their home, have been released from jail on bond.
Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy Cano, were arrested last month on charges of tampering with evidence after federal agents raided their Las Cruces home.
Court records show they were released on $10,000 bond each on Tuesday under certain conditions.
In January 2025, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officials received a tip that Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, an alleged member of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, a designated foreign terrorist organization, “was residing with other illegal aliens in the United States unlawfully at an address located in Las Cruces, New Mexico…and was in possession of firearms,” a federal complaint states.
EX-NEW MEXICO JUDGE, WIFE TRIED TO HIDE EVIDENCE OF ILLEGAL ALIEN GANGBANGER, DOJ PROSECUTORS SAY
Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano, 68, and his wife, Nancy Cano, 67, are accused of harboring Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, an illegal immigrant and alleged member of Venezuela’s notorious Tren de Aragua gang. (U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico /U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement )
“Nancy and Jose Cano are the owners of the Premises,” the complaint said.
Court documents further revealed that Ortega, who entered the United States from Mexico illegally in 2023 by climbing over a barbed wire fence, was initially hired by Nancy Cano for home repairs and later offered accommodation in the couple’s guesthouse.
EX-NEW MEXICO JUDGE, WIFE ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY HARBORING ILLEGAL TREN DE ARAGUA MEMBER
An HSI agent escorts former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano out of his home on Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Courtesy of KFOX14)
Ortega is charged with being an illegal immigrant in possession of a firearm and/or ammunition.
Federal authorities searched the Canos’ home on April 24 to locate Ortega-Lopez’s missing phone. During questioning, Joel Cano apparently admitted to authorities that he destroyed Ortega’s cellphone “with a hammer and discarded the remaining pieces in the city trash dumpster” earlier this year.
FBI ARRESTS WISCONSIN JUDGE, ALLEGING SHE OBSTRUCTED ARREST OF ILLEGAL ALIEN
Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy Cano, were arrested last month on charges of tampering with evidence after federal agents raided their Las Cruces, New Mexico, home. (Doña Ana County Detention Center)
“Specifically, Jose Cano stated that he destroyed the cellphone and further admitted that he believed the cellphone contained photos or videos that would reflect negatively on Ortega,” a federal complaint states. “Through further questioning, agents ascertained that Jose Cano destroyed the cellphone, believing that it contained photographs of Ortega holding firearms that Ortega had uploaded onto social media platforms which would be additional incriminating evidence against him.”
Federal officials seized other cellphones from Oretga that apparently contained messages showing his “Tren de Aragua affiliation and photos of Ortega in possession of firearms and ammunition.” In social media videos, Ortega can allegedly be seen shooting “an AR-15 style rifle with a suppressor” at metal targets.
NEW MEXICO JUDGE RESIGNS AFTER ALLEGED TDA MEMBER ARRESTED AT HIS HOME
Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano. (U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico)
Joel Cano resigned from his judicial position in March, and last month, the New Mexico Supreme Court issued a ruling permanently barring him from holding any judicial office in the state.
Joel and Nancy Cano face up to 15 years in prison. Fox News Digital reached out to their attorney for comment.
“The rule of law is very simple: It doesn’t matter what line of work you’re in. If you break the law, we will follow the facts, and we will prosecute you,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a video message last week.
Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano and Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
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A man armed with a knife was shot by L.A. police officers responding to an assault with a deadly weapon call overnight, authorities said.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers with the Hollenbeck Division responded to an apartment complex in the 3000 block of Glenn Avenue in Boyle Heights at 1:45 a.m. Saturday after callers reported a male suspect was armed with a knife and had just assaulted someone in the complex.
Arriving officers found the suspect in front of the residence, but he did not comply with officers’ commands to drop the weapon. He then advanced toward the officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred, LAPD confirmed.
“The suspect was struck by gunfire and remained non-compliant,” the LAPD Public Information Officer said on X early Saturday morning. “Officers deployed a 40mm foam round and ultimately took the suspect into custody.”
Video obtained by KTLA shows the man being loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital; officials said he was transported in stable condition, adding that his knife was recovered at the scene and booked as evidence.
No officers or community members were injured during the incident. The man’s name was not released.
Dangerous rip currents and high surf are forecast for Los Angeles County beaches, including the Malibu Coast this weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous beach statement, warning of the potentially deadly beach conditions. The dangerous conditions are forecast to last from Saturday evening to Monday morning.
“There is an increased risk of ocean drowning,” the NWS forecast reads. “Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats nearshore.”
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A guide to surviving rip currents from the National Weather Service (NWS)
Minor Beach erosion and coastal flooding is possible through the weekend. The flooding is most likely to occur during evening high tides from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Beachgoers are advised to stay out of the water and remain near lifeguard towers. Jetties and tidepools are also especially dangerous during the weekend forecast.
“Rock jetties can be deadly in such conditions, stay off the rocks,” the NWS forecast reads.
Similar hazardous beach conditions are also in the forecast for Santa Barbara County. A high surf advisory is also in effect for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties this weekend, where 10 to 15-foot waves will be possible.
If you live or want to live in Los Angeles, the city controller has released a new dashboard highlighting some of the city’s most notorious problem rental properties, a tool designed to help renters avoid future headaches.
“This project comes at a time when tenants are reporting harassment and illegal evictions violating the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance, Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance and Tenant Anti‑Harassment Ordinance, but very few of the complaints end up leading to strong enforcement or real accountability,” L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia said in a media release Thursday.
The new Top 100 Problem Rental Properties dashboard includes a searchable database of all residential addresses with reported housing violation cases within the city of Los Angeles, a ranked list of the 100 addresses with the most violations and an interactive map.
“There has never before been an uncomplicated way for anyone to look up years’ worth of violations by address,” Mejia said in the release.
Data for the dashboard was compiled from multiple sources, including the Los Angeles Housing Department, Los Angeles City Planning and the L.A. County Assessor’s Office, according to the controller’s office.
The release also identified the top three addresses with the highest number of reported housing violations:
1. 636 1/2 North Hill Place, Chinatown
192 housing violation cases
2. 11700 West Wilshire Boulevard, Sawtelle
166 housing violation cases
3. 6650 West Forest Lawn Drive, Hollywood Hills
113 housing violation cases
“Our new dashboard is an easy‑to‑understand public tool that we hope will help renters and organizers document patterns of harm, as well as put pressure on both landlords and the City to act,” Mejia said. “Everyone deserves safe, stable and dignified housing.”
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