Albuquerque Woman Pleads Guilty in Fugitive Husband’s Escape

Colleen Calamia, 38, of Albuquerque, N.M., pleaded guilty today to aiding and abetting the escape of her husband, convicted felon Mario Montoya, 31, who fled a halfway house and died in a gunfire exchange with U.S. Marshals. The admission marks the end of a high-stakes manhunt that turned deadly within days of Montoya’s disappearance.

On May 20, 2016, Montoya vanished from an Albuquerque-area halfway house where he was serving out conditions of release on federal charges for being a felon in possession of a firearm and theft of mail. That same day, a court issued an emergency arrest warrant after Montoya fled in a black sport utility vehicle. Authorities now say Calamia helped facilitate his escape, directly violating federal law.

Four days later, on May 24, 2016, U.S. Marshals Surveillance teams spotted Calamia driving a black Escalade to a residence at 312 Western Skies in Albuquerque. Officers observed her and Montoya unloading items from the vehicle and entering the home. When deputies stopped Calamia later that day and questioned her, she claimed Montoya was alone at the residence — a lie that triggered immediate action.

As a U.S. Marshals arrest team approached the home to serve the warrant, Montoya opened fire, sparking a violent exchange. Deputies were forced to retreat under gunfire. A second tactical team later entered the residence and found Montoya hiding in a closet — dead from gunshot wounds sustained during the shootout.

Calamia was indicted on June 14, 2016, on two counts: aiding and abetting the escape of a convicted felon on May 20, and concealing a person from arrest on May 24, both occurring in Bernalillo County, N.M. Today, she pleaded guilty to the first charge, admitting she played a direct role in helping Montoya flee custody.

At sentencing, Calamia faces a statutory maximum of five years in federal prison. No date has been set. The case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob A. Wishard, who was also handling Montoya’s original federal prosecution, led by ATF and U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

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