Job Offers to a Friend or
Tampering with a Criminal Case?
September 27, 2012
The New Mexico media has barely explored the content of the Keith Gardner audio recording.
Gardner, Governor Susana Martinez’s chief of staff, clearly states that he intentionally conceals his communications from public disclosure because the content could put him in jail. To put it simply, Gardner admitted he was involved in illegal activities. Yet this fact has been ignored.
The Gardner audio recording raises some very serious questions about the job opportunities he he offered to Brian Powell, the guy who made the recording.
Was Gardner simply offering to help out a friend, or was there some hidden meaning behind his intentions?
When taken by itself, Gardner certainly sounds sincere. But when put into the context of the criminal case, another more sinister possibility emerges. The criminal case involves Powell’s daughter as the victim, Gardner’s close relative a key witness, and Gardner’s close friend as the defendant.
In this context,the job offers sound much more like an effort to get the victim to leave town, which would make it harder to move the criminal case forward.
(This wouldn’t be the only hire by the governor’s office that raised eyebrows.
As ISPAC previously covered, the wife of one of the governor’s security detail was given a high paying exempt job in the governor’s office. This same security officer also happened to have accompanied first gentleman Chuck Franco on his hunting trip to Louisiana last September, during the Downs at Albuquerque procurement process. Franco’s hunting trip is an issue because of the timing and the Louisiana connections to two of the owners of the Downs at Albuquerque. This is one of many questionable events that surfaced after The Downs was granted the contract by Governor Martinez.)
The recording clearly has Gardner dangling job offers to Powell that required moving his family far away from Roswell.
Gardner also recaps in the recording his conversations with Janetta Hicks, District Attorney for Roswell, about how difficult the preliminary hearing and trial will be for the victim and her family. Gardner sounds as if he is purposely trying to paint a horrifying picture of the future for the Powell family.
There are at least six different times in the recording when Gardner brings up job offers to Powell. Most of these offers meant the Powell family had to commit to leaving Roswell:
39:39- Gardner: “Let me help you get out of this place.”
26:59- Gardner: “I am not telling you to run away, but I think you’ll do well to be away from the middle of the fire.”
13:53- Gardner: “Let me… I honestly didn’t know if you are ready to do it or not. If you are ready, let me see what I can find you. Let me see what I can get you. I got to tell you it was the smartest thing we ever did.” (This statement is from the former representative for the Roswell district.)
13:03- Gardner: “Let me find something. If you are serious about moving. If you want out let me help you.”
9:52- Gardner: “Let me find something for you, let me find something for you.”—Leads to discussion about a USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) position- which was later offered to Powell via email.
The media seem skittish about evaluating Gardner’s statements in the recording. They shouldn’t be. There are very serious issues raised by Gardner, a man admitting in his own words to conduct that could send him to jail.
Tampering with a Criminal Case?
September 27, 2012
The New Mexico media has barely explored the content of the Keith Gardner audio recording.
Gardner, Governor Susana Martinez’s chief of staff, clearly states that he intentionally conceals his communications from public disclosure because the content could put him in jail. To put it simply, Gardner admitted he was involved in illegal activities. Yet this fact has been ignored.
The Gardner audio recording raises some very serious questions about the job opportunities he he offered to Brian Powell, the guy who made the recording.
Was Gardner simply offering to help out a friend, or was there some hidden meaning behind his intentions?
When taken by itself, Gardner certainly sounds sincere. But when put into the context of the criminal case, another more sinister possibility emerges. The criminal case involves Powell’s daughter as the victim, Gardner’s close relative a key witness, and Gardner’s close friend as the defendant.
In this context,the job offers sound much more like an effort to get the victim to leave town, which would make it harder to move the criminal case forward.
(This wouldn’t be the only hire by the governor’s office that raised eyebrows.
As ISPAC previously covered, the wife of one of the governor’s security detail was given a high paying exempt job in the governor’s office. This same security officer also happened to have accompanied first gentleman Chuck Franco on his hunting trip to Louisiana last September, during the Downs at Albuquerque procurement process. Franco’s hunting trip is an issue because of the timing and the Louisiana connections to two of the owners of the Downs at Albuquerque. This is one of many questionable events that surfaced after The Downs was granted the contract by Governor Martinez.)
The recording clearly has Gardner dangling job offers to Powell that required moving his family far away from Roswell.
Gardner also recaps in the recording his conversations with Janetta Hicks, District Attorney for Roswell, about how difficult the preliminary hearing and trial will be for the victim and her family. Gardner sounds as if he is purposely trying to paint a horrifying picture of the future for the Powell family.
There are at least six different times in the recording when Gardner brings up job offers to Powell. Most of these offers meant the Powell family had to commit to leaving Roswell:
39:39- Gardner: “Let me help you get out of this place.”
26:59- Gardner: “I am not telling you to run away, but I think you’ll do well to be away from the middle of the fire.”
13:53- Gardner: “Let me… I honestly didn’t know if you are ready to do it or not. If you are ready, let me see what I can find you. Let me see what I can get you. I got to tell you it was the smartest thing we ever did.” (This statement is from the former representative for the Roswell district.)
13:03- Gardner: “Let me find something. If you are serious about moving. If you want out let me help you.”
9:52- Gardner: “Let me find something for you, let me find something for you.”—Leads to discussion about a USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) position- which was later offered to Powell via email.
The media seem skittish about evaluating Gardner’s statements in the recording. They shouldn’t be. There are very serious issues raised by Gardner, a man admitting in his own words to conduct that could send him to jail.
Listen to the Gardner Audio Here
(Note: The audio was edited solely to conceal the names of the girls identified by name on the recording).
(Note: The audio was edited solely to conceal the names of the girls identified by name on the recording).