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A former Republican candidate for a New Mexico state House seat was sentenced Wednesday to 80 years behind bars after contracting gunmen to carry out drive-by shootings at the homes of Democratic officials after his election loss.
Solomon Peña was convicted of 13 felony charges earlier this year after he orchestrated the attacks in Albuquerque, New Mexico just weeks after his defeat in November 2022.
He had been charged with conspiracy, being a felon in possession of a firearm, four counts of intimidation and interference with federally protected activities, four counts of using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and three counts of solicitation to commit a crime of violence.
The shootings, one of which involved a machine gun, were carried out between Dec. 4, 2022, and Jan. 3, 2023. Peña personally participated in one of the attacks.
Solomon Peña was convicted of 13 felony charges earlier this year. (Roberto E. Rosales/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)
Some of the shootings happened while children and other relatives of the victims were at home, although nobody was hurt.
Prosecutors said Peña organized the shootings at the homes of two Bernalillo County commissioners and two New Mexico state legislators in response to unsubstantiated claims that election fraud contributed to his loss.
“Violence and intimidation have no place in our elections,” U.S. Attorney for New Mexico Ryan Ellison said in a statement on Wednesday.
The shootings were carried out between Dec. 4, 2022, and Jan. 3, 2023. (Roberto E. Rosales/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)
The officials Peña targeted were all Democrats and included the current state House speaker.
Following his unsuccessful campaign, Peña went to the homes of members of the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners and pressured them not to certify the election results, purporting that the election had been “rigged” against him.
When they refused and certified the results, Peña hired co-conspirators Jose Trujillo and Demetrio Trujillo to carry out the shootings, prosecutors said.
Solomon Peña purported that his election had been “rigged” against him. (Metropolitan Detention Center/Handout via REUTERS)
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The two men Peña contracted for the shooting spree pleaded guilty last year. Following his arrest, Peña attempted to have the pair murdered to prevent them from testifying.
In addition to the 80 years in prison, Peña was given three years of supervised release. His lawyer said he would appeal the conviction.
Fox News’ Danielle Wallace and Reuters contributed to this report.
