A former official of a southern New Mexico regional housing authority who complained about alleged mismanagement and misspending says she's outraged by the way a criminal case has petered out.
Ex-legislator Vincent "Smiley" Gallegos in December pleaded no contest to four misdemeanors, and state prosecutors since have dropped charges against three other people also charged in the case.
According to the Las Cruces Sun-News, former authority board member Frances Williams says the end of the case sends the wrong message and that justice hasn't been served. Williams had raised questions about a number of allegations of impropriety.
The Attorney General's Office says charges against the remaining defendants were dismissed because the passage of time meant prosecutors didn't have enough of a legal basis to take the case to trial.
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