Clifford Raymond Salas, Conspiracy, Explosives, Firearms, New Mexico 2015

ALBUQUERQUE – A Las Cruces man was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to commit arson and explosives charges.

Clifford Raymond Salas, 38, was sentenced in federal court on [no date given] to 35 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Salas was also ordered to pay $111,018.05 in restitution to the victims of his crimes.

The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge Terry Wade of the Albuquerque Division of the FBI, and Las Cruces Police Chief Jaime Montoya.

Salas was convicted of participating in a conspiracy between July 15, 2012, and August 31, 2012, to commit arson by maliciously damaging and destroying the Irish Ink Tattoo, located at 2245 South Main Street in Las Cruces. He was also found guilty of maliciously damaging and destroying the Irish Ink Tattoo by throwing at least one Molotov cocktail into the building, using a destructive device in furtherance of an act of violence, and being a felon in possession of an explosive.

The evidence at trial established that Salazar opened a tattoo shop in Las Cruces in May 2012, but his business struggled and he experienced legal troubles. Two of his tattoo artists left to open their own shop, the Irish Ink Tattoo, which Salazar threatened to burn down. Salazar arranged for Salas and Thomas Vazquez Salazar to throw Molotov cocktails at the Irish Ink Tattoo and burn it down.

Salas’s prior criminal history includes convictions for drug trafficking, attempted assault on an inmate, robbery, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was prosecuted as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets ‘the worst of the worst’ offenders for federal prosecution.

The initiative, which targets repeat offenders from counties with the highest violent crime rates, including Doña Ana County, N.M., aims to remove repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible. New Mexico’s violent crime rates, on a per capita basis, are amongst the highest in the nation.

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