E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSCorrection: EnviroSystems Management Consultants Inc. is based in El Paso, Texas. An earlier version of this article identified an incorrect city.
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. -- Town leaders were scrambling to find a mayor on Sunday because their mayor-elect is banned from City Hall and accused of a litany of crimes -- from trying to extort an opponent to billing the town for prostitutes and strippers during a border conference last year in Mexico.
Daniel Salinas, 28, was hoping to be sworn in by the Thursday deadline last week but already was facing earlier charges of extortion and bribery after allegedly trying to blackmail his opponent with a tape showing him receiving a lap dance from a topless stripper, said Dona Ana County District Attorney Amy Orlando.
A District Court ruling earlier this year forbid Salinas from entering City Hall or interacting with city employees after those charges, and the state's Supreme Court last week denied a request to have the restrictions lifted so he could be sworn in.
A day after the deadline, Salinas faced more trouble when he was arrested and charged with 18 additional criminal counts of fraud, receiving illegal kickbacks and violation of ethical principles of public service, according to a criminal complaint.
The arrest affidavit lists numerous counts of fraud, primarily for alleged activities during a Border Legislative Conference last year in Saltillo, Mexico.
He was being held Sunday in lieu of $1 million bail.
"These charges clearly show his ties to a corporation in Mexico that was willing to break the law with him, so the court found a million dollars an appropriate bond," Orlando said.
The complaint alleges that Salinas received kickbacks from EnviroSystems Management Consultants Inc., which is based in El Paso, Texas, and has ties to Juarez, Mexico, in exchange for a multi-million-dollar contract with the city. The kickbacks included money for the activities during the conference that are at the center of the charges, according to the complaint.
Through what the complaint described as a "pyramid scheme," Salinas and his alleged cohort with EnviroSystems are accused of trying to bill Sunland Park, a town of about 14,000 near the borders of Texas and Mexico, for "night life" expenses during the November 2011 conference.
The alleged scheme was to have the owner of EnviroSystems, Jorge Angulo, pay per diem and expenses for the city's contingent to the conference -- and those expenses included strip club trips for the entire group and prostitutes for both Salinas and the city's public information officer, Arturo Alba, according to the complaint.
Then Angulo was to bill the city for the expenses, which would be paid back to him from the city's border crossing fund, which is reserved for border-related business, the complaint says.
Efforts to reach Salinas' attorney, Joshua Spencer, for comment on Sunday were unsuccessful.
Orlando said her investigation has led to additional city departments but she declined to elaborate on which ones and what the connections are.
As for who will be the city's mayor, council officials are working with the secretary of state to determine what procedures to follow, Orlando said.
Salinas has so far been indicted on the extortion charge and is pending grand jury on the bribery charges, in addition to Friday's charges that will move through the system this week.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:
- Republican senator calls Obama 'stupid'
- Pair arrested in connection with deadly Tulsa shooting spree
- 1 killed after Texas beach party turns violent
- 'Very fortunate': Nobody reported missing after Navy jet crash
- Teen student dumps ex-teacher after his arrest
- Texas teen to become first American to graduate from Bolshoi
- Cops: Dad dies after shielding son, 8, from bullets
Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
Leave a Comment:
I'm glad our town doesn't have a mayor like this. I wonder if any presidents acted like this mayor.
Old hard core politics like this used to be a trade symbol for most politicians. I don't think there was a "Wall of Separation" on who was doing it between either party until citizens started realizing it was an issue. It still happens
This is way to crazy to be real...I think he is just setting up a run for national office...when you are this corrupt the only possible road leads to Washington D.C.
Chicago style politics!
I almost expect to see Tip O'neil on his election team.
NObama in 2012.
whats the big deal? Bill Clinton had his in the White House....everyone gets all upset over a little sex...like that has any influence at all over a persons ability to govern. Sex is a part of who we are...get over it.
Using taxpayer money to get sex, using an end-around billing to pay for the hookers goes a little bit beyond sex being 'a part of who we are.' Clinton wasn't paying Lewinsky BTW.
Is that all you got out of the article? It's not about the sex. It's about the criminal activity and bilking the town out of taxpayer monies, which has become standard operating procedure for politicians these days. Nothing new here. Time to move on.
The guy is an idiot if he wants to be the mayor..if you got the girls..just pay off the mayors like all towns do..he is an born idiot!
Maybe dropped on his head as a baby... by his call-girl momma!
That's what happens when America allows "Illegals" to run our nation. Wake up America. We're turning into crime ridden Mexico!
@Freedom-2484892, most members in the political arena are not illegals, where are your glasses. He hasn't done any more than the rest have done, even those that are hiding in the closet..and they come from both sides of the spectrum.
Random Penn.....You're kidding, right???
Once again, politicians cavorting among prostitutes...giving prostitutes a bad name. You would think prostitutes would know better by now!
Heck the mayor of one town I lived in and his father showed up on 60 minutes in a strip club probe.
This guy's behavior is NOT acceptable. I couldn't care less if he had sex with a prostitute, it's the fact that he tried to bill the town that pisses me off.
Pixie-No I'm not. I'm sure this politician isn't the only one who did what he did.
Thank God we've never had a President that acted like that ..
Yeah. At least he didn't try to get the tax payers to pay for it. LOL Also he ran a pretty tight ship other than that. Left us with a balanced budget and relatively at peace with the world. It took a couple of ill advised wars to create our present day disaster. Now we have to tax and spend to pay for it. LOL
I was expecting Newt to show up
spartan, exactly, I couldn't care less if the mayor sees hookers on his own dime and his own time, but if he is charging the government for his hookers (or hookers for people he is doing business with), lock the bum up!
Dear "Freedom-2484892"--
Where in this article is there ANY mention of "illegals" with respect to this mayor. Did you even bother to read the article, or did you see a hispanic name and just jump to a bunch of IGNORANT conclusions?
When people around the world complain about Americans, or mock us for being ignorant, they are talking about people like YOU. Educate yourself so that you are able to at least read a 5th-grade level news article.
Oh great, a comment just collapsed. When are people going to understand that if one comment gets collapsed, a lot of other comments get collapsed? Now I'm waiting to see which Liberal comment gets collapsed.
I expected to see the name Kennedy somewhere... But then I realized there were no dead women in the article.
These guys just ripped a page outta Newt's playbook. But if we're goanna start to clean up politics in America, we may as well start at the local level. I'm not sure that I want my mayor consorting with hookers and lap dancers period, but he can certainly do it on his own time using his own money.
And if he gets an STD, and his spouse gives him the boot, and his dick turns green and falls off - that's even better (provided the town isn't stuck with his health-care bills).
Heck, I am suprised that Rod Blagojevich was not this guy's campaign manager....LOL
White politicians have been doing this stuff forever - kickbacks from white-owned companies that then get government contracts. I guess the newer minority politicians have paid good attention and have learned to play the game. Personally, I don't see why there are comments about this clown being Latino. A crooked politician is a crooked politician, no matter the ethnicity.
Absolutely no surprise there. The corrupt have long highjacked politics for their own many years ago. I believe in Democracy and Capitalism, but greed and corruption will bring both down.
I lost the bet I made with myself - it took alll of FOUR posts for an anti-Obama rom chipped righties to raise his dulll head!!!!!
They better watch out...!
Next thing we know, obumer will be suing the state of
New Mexico for abuse of prositutes...! lol
One other point, prostitution is illegal. Having an affair is not. So, here you have a man who is charged in his oath to uphold the law engaging in illegal activities. Beyond the fraud.... If the charges are true, he's a JOHN and a CRIMINAL.
What is really unbelievable is that many of these charges were already pending when the election took place and the people of the town elected him anyway. What does that say about the morals and the intelligence of the people in this town!?!? I personally could care less if the guy wants to see hookers, it is using public funds to pay for it that I find unacceptable. Also, trying to blackmail people for the same actions you are guilty of is really over the top. This guy belongs in prison, not city hall.
Not surprised, the people of FL elected a man Governor who stole billions in Medicare funds. Some people will vote for anything that has their party label on them.
Why do politicians and prostitutes get along so well? They are like PB and Jelly
Gotta agree with you on that. But there are also those who voted not just along party lines but also along sexual lines (for Palin) and racial lines (for Obama).
PB&Js are widely accepted in any community. What community widely accepts politicians and prostitutes together or even alone?
Everybody has something in there closet. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
@retiredcoastguard: What the heck is your point?
Coastie,
Planning on coming out are you?
NObama 2012!
Ike Eisenhower had his little jeep driving chippie. Mamie knew all about her. Why always bring up Clinton? Nixon would have, but no one would have Nixon.
Oh yeah Industrial.................
OBAMA 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's not about him getting prostitutes. That's nobody's business but his own. However, as soon as he tries to bill the town for it, it becomes corruption. Now THAT is EVERYBODY'S business.
Since none of us are corrupt politicians (or so I hope), "he who is without sin" essentially means everyone.
ret coast guard is obviously talking about skeletons in the closet
Damn! Sunland Parks mayor sure has a lot to do. Nearly all of it illegal, but a lot to do nevertheless. juggling the wants and needs of prostitutes, pole dancers, pimps. Now add blackmail, extortion, kickbacks, making speeches, and cutting the occasional ribbon at the opening of some new convenience store. Good He's in jail. Sounds like He needs the rest.
Save your religious morals for yourself. The rest of us will stick to the law.
Duck!
hmm...Let ye who hath not been elected to public office, hath not been bribed by hookers and money, who hath not tried to have said hookers be paid for by tax dollars cast the first stone...
Seems a bit different when you think of it that way...
This is rather idiotic. They either need to lift said restrictions, or declare the election invalid. What good is a mayor, who is forbidden from acting?
Or a Senator that only votes "Present"?
NObama in 2012!
or a voter who votes straight ticket...
And from your mouth (in this case your typing) to God's ears...
NObama...ever
He was never signed in.
Or a party (GOP) that always says NO????
Oh yeah, Industrial AND Jack..............
OBAMA 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SoSickoftheGop...I wouldn't vote for them if I didn't think they would say NO to everything that goof in the White House suggests. He's had 3 years and he hasn't been anything but wrong.
Wanna' bet old Daniel's 6th grade report card said something like: "Does not play well with others"?
Bill Clinton's 6th grade teacher commented "you'll either be in prison or elected to office".
NObama 2012!
Ironically you are doing more to promote Obama than you realize. You keep people thinking about him. There's an old advertising adage - theres no such thing as bad publicity.
Funny thing, I never see Romney 2012. You can tell they all will have two fingers crossed and two holding their nose.
Mitt Romney 2012!
Get it through you heads, this has nothing to do with Obama.
Don't confuse the racist clowns...yes it's racism when they have to resort to birth certificates, the rev wright and calling the president stupid instead of talking about his record...
These are the same toadies who thought the one third term governor of Alaska was qualified to be president...you betcha
Random pennsylvanian
seriously? You must be from the large segment of the population that gets a hard-on for elitists
I feel for these folks...particularly the ones who didn't vote for this "fine, upstanding citizen". I'm all to familiar with idiot mayors...we just recently replaced ours. Hopefully this town gets a resolution, and a better public leader in the process.
Ah, life in the Sovereign United State of New Mexico. We are a third world country, indeed. Ain't life grand?
I wouldn't be surprised if they later discovered he has ties to Meh-he-co's drug cartels.
Wm. Sanders...You must be from Miami..
Grumo in NM....And here I've always thought My home town of Miami was the 3rd world. Ahhh...the Magic City.
Don't feel too bad Grump...Oklahoma is not far behind.
And ironically pixie, we do have a Miami in OK...but instead of a beach, it has a Superfund site next door!
Don't you just love this country? lol
Typical political corruption, so what is new????
Much like the clown party in Vegas.
How corrupt. It's like the Mexican Mob in our own ranks. Politicians have no character. You can't even shame people with what's right or wrong anymore.
Wow, this guy was already facing charges, but was still about to be sworn in ???? A pillar of the community...
Well what else is new? I do remember him stating on how to make a hormone, he said you don't pay her!
Politics as usual.
I GUARANTEE this guy is a DEMOCRAT! WHY? Because there is no mention of party affiliation. Republican.... BIG NEWS! Democrat ... don't mess in peoples private lives. Republican ....thousands of negative posts Democrat 17 posts Democrats, BIGGEST HYPOCRITES on the face of the earth.
I was just going to post the same thing!! Every bad article with no political association mentioned... you guessed it, it's a Democrat. Wow MSNBC, you think everyone is so stupid that they cannot figure out your agenda?
It's because he's a mayor, genius, not a governor or a legislator. The ideological party affiliations of city or town mayors isn't as strong as with state or federal officials. What party he belongs to simply doesn't mean that much, at this level.
Scabby then how come everybody knew the party of Chicago and New York's mayors. Mayors are very important to real politicians they control the local machine.
jim overlin.....Salinas is a democrat
scabby-2231636......at any political level party affiliation is very much a factor.
So....Jim overlin....Yoy think that the party you support is squeaky clean? I've said it before and I'll post it here for you:
Politicians are not elected by the people no matter how much garbage you are fed to the contrary. ALL of them ( the ones that want to be "elected") have image consultants, focus groups, and speech writers. none of them are going to be able to keep their word, so why do they bother trying. Why do they spend so much time smearing the opponents, and spending so much money to get into office?
Answer: That's where the big money is.
Exactly my thoughts. HAS to be a dem. The head line would have read "Republican Mayor-elect Cought: Prostitutes, No Cigars"
Why doesn't every news channel just state their political side? MSNBC, CNN, and HLN are obviously Liberal leaners. Fox tries to stay in the middle, but their statements turn Conservative. The person that tries to stay in the middle is Bill O'rielly, even though he doesn't like Obama. Bill tries to view arguements from both sides.
Well Random, that comment about Fox trying to stay in the middle almost had me going till i figured out you were just funnin' us.
You can tell he's a dem, because the prostitutes were female.
MORE white Hispanic crime! When will it end?!?!?
Will end when the lily white crime stops
Well, I guess there goes their their NBA arena down the drain.
Just another a**hole politician.
They just get dumber and dumber. They know that so many have been caught in hanky panky and do they learn? NO.One day they will learn that if you want to be in the public eye and get paid for it, you better watch your step. People with phones are taking pix all over the place.What did Forrest Gump say, " Stupid is as stupid does".
They get dumber and dumber as the electorate gets dumber and dumber. An Illinois state representative just won his primary after being arrested by the F.B.I. a week before the vote for being caught on tape taking a bribe. Took 77% of the vote. Stupid voters get what stupid voters deserve.
...oops, thought this was the Denver mayor.
Oh, gee, oh, gee. Another politician of sterling character and untarnished reputation! Where in the world do we come up with these people and how do we manage to elect them?
I guess we're getting what we ask for: more corruption and malfeasance in office. If I ever announce that I'm running for any political office, somebody just shoot me quick. I would hate to be classified with characters like this.
Wasn't Tip O'Neil from Boston?
the issue is honesty and strength of character: lacking in his case.
Send this 28 year old to Mexico where he can play for the rest of his life.
I wonder if Salinas grew up and was trained in Chicago.
Every politician is corrupt, and therefore rich. Why is this one any different. The more surprising aspect of this story is that he isn’t a senator or congressperson. What a great bunch running for mayor, one (the loser) who received lap dances from naked hookers, or the winner taking millions from corrupt companies.
It is any wonder why NO ONE has fate in our political system? They all are crooks and shysters. Some just hide it better than others.
What isn’t surprising is that the company accused of supplying the bribes is from Arizona, the retirement capital for old Nevada mobsters.
Prostitution should be legalized, but billing your town for it is just silly.
I'm sure you're mom will still be able to find work if they don't legalize it.
Welcome to New Mexico....eight more years until the kid I am mentoring graduates from H.S. then I'm outta here! I was shocked and appalled when I moved here over the corruption in the state and local governments. Now all I do is roll my eyes and count the days....