Taos Carjacker Richard Howieson Faces Federal Charges

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – A brazen carjacking from 2013 has finally caught up to Richard Howieson, 56, of Costilla, New Mexico. Federal agents took Howieson into custody yesterday evening in Taos, bringing an end to a years-long pursuit and paving the way for a reckoning in federal court.

According to a federal indictment unsealed today, Howieson is accused of carjacking a victim in Taos County on February 19, 2013. He’s also charged with carrying a firearm during and in relation to the commission of that crime, and with being a felon in possession of a firearm – a particularly damning charge given his prior record. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico, the FBI, and the New Mexico State Police jointly announced the arrest.

This isn’t Howieson’s first brush with the law. The indictment reveals a previous felony conviction for leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and great bodily injury – a conviction that already prohibited him from possessing firearms or ammunition at the time of the alleged carjacking. Investigators say he ignored that prohibition, escalating the severity of his current legal woes.

Howieson will appear in federal court in Albuquerque on October 11, 2016. He is currently held in federal custody, awaiting a detention hearing. Prosecutors are building a case that could land Howieson behind bars for a significant stretch of time. A conviction on the carjacking charge carries a statutory maximum of 15 years. The felon in possession charge adds another potential ten years.

But the most serious penalty stems from the alleged use of a firearm during the carjacking. If convicted on that count, Howieson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years, which must be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed. That means a worst-case scenario could see Howieson facing over 35 years in federal prison. The investigation was spearheaded by the Santa Fe office of the FBI and the New Mexico State Police.

Assistant U.S. Attorney George Kraehe is prosecuting the case. It’s crucial to remember that these are merely accusations at this stage. Howieson, like all criminal defendants, is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. But the evidence, as presented in the indictment, paints a grim picture for the Taos County man. Grimy Times will continue to follow this case as it unfolds.”