ALBUQUERQUE – Solomon Peña, 42, will spend the next 80 years in prison after being sentenced to 960 months for a chillingly calculated campaign of violence and obstruction of justice. Peña, a failed candidate for District 14 of the New Mexico House of Representatives, wasn’t content with losing the November 2022 midterm elections – he decided to wage war on the democratic process with bullets and betrayal.
The evidence laid bare a disturbing plot. After falsely claiming the election was rigged, Peña relentlessly pressured members of the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners to overturn the results. When they refused to yield to his demands, he turned to Jose Trujillo and Demetrio Trujillo, recruiting them to carry out a series of targeted shootings at the homes of several public officials. Peña didn’t just direct the attacks; he provided the cash, the instructions, and the addresses, even participating in one of the assaults himself. One of those attacks involved a fully automatic machine gun – rounds ripped through areas where children had been, or were actively sleeping.
But the violence didn’t stop there. Once arrested, Peña doubled down on his criminality, attempting to have Jose and Demetrio Trujillo silenced permanently. He offered fellow inmates money and a vehicle in exchange for their murders, desperate to eliminate potential witnesses who could expose his scheme. The brazen attempt to obstruct justice only deepened his entanglement with the law.
On March 23, 2025, a federal jury delivered a damning verdict, finding Peña guilty on all counts of the indictment. This included 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 jury saw through his lies and held him accountable for his dangerous actions.
“Violence and intimidation have no place in our elections,” declared U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison. “This sentence shows that through the tireless work of our agents and prosecutors we will protect our democracy and bring offenders to justice.” Acting Special Agent in Charge Philip Russell of the FBI added, “The FBI is committed to protecting the American people and bringing justice to those who try to harm others and disrupt our democratic processes.”
Peña’s sentence isn’t the end of the story. He will face three years of supervised release upon his eventual release. The court also ordered him to pay restitution and a hefty $250,000 fine. His accomplices also faced justice: Jose Trujillo received 37 months in prison, while Demetrio Trujillo was sentenced to 180 months. The investigation was a joint effort by the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office and the Albuquerque Police Department, with assistance from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeremy Peña, Patrick E. Cordova, and Trial Attorney William Gullotta secured the conviction.
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Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime|Public Corruption|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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