A Ruidoso man was sentenced Wednesday to a year of probation and fined $2,500 for trespassing on a National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.
Kenneth Espinosa, 46, was convicted of unlawfully entering the San Andres National Wildlife Refuge during an Oryx hunt in January 2006. Espinosa and his employer, John Hughes, a 51-year-old Ruidoso businessman, guided a Georgia resident, James Gladin, on the hunt.
According to court documents, Espinosa, Hughes, and Gladin were advised by officials that the refuge was a closed area but still entered the refuge and parked their vehicle within the refuge’s eastern boundary. Gladin killed a bull Oryx during the hunt.
On February 23, 2011, Hughes pleaded guilty to the crime and was sentenced to five years of probation and fined $2,500. Gladin, 53, paid a $525 fine and forfeited the bull Oryx he had killed.
The San Andres National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1941 for the conservation and development of natural wildlife resources. It is currently home to the best habitat for desert bighorn sheep in New Mexico.
Special Agent in Charge Nicholas E. Chavez of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement Southwest Region said, ‘Our national wildlife refuges were established to help conserve important and sensitive species and habitat. Refuges are a national treasure, and willful illegal trespass is a serious matter.’
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office and investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Public Corruption|Weapons|Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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