Paul Jessen Jr.
Introduction
Paul Jessen Jr., a former deputy with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, is the first person indicted in an ongoing federal investigation into DWI-case corruption in New Mexico. A federal grand jury accuses him of using his official position to further a long-running scheme in which a deputy allegedly skipped required court settings so a defense attorney could seek dismissals for drunken-driving offenders. The indictment arrived in November 2026, months after Jessen was separately convicted of obstructing a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation and making false statements to the FBI. Like any indictment, the charging document is an accusation rather than proof, and Jessen is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
Background Information
Court records identify Jessen as a former deputy with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. Earlier in 2026, he was convicted of obstructing a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation and of making false statements to the FBI — court-established outcomes that already make him a convicted federal defendant. The DWI-corruption investigation that produced the November 2026 charges remains active, and prosecutors treat his case as its opening indictment.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Charged, not convicted. Jessen has been indicted on a single federal conspiracy count, but the allegations are unproven and no court has found him guilty of them.
A federal grand jury returned the indictment — the first in the ongoing DWI corruption investigation — charging the former deputy with using his official position to further a long-running scheme involving the dismissal of DWI cases in New Mexico. Court documents allege that between March 2018 and January 2024, Jessen conspired with attorney Thomas J. Clear III and Clear’s paralegal, Ricardo Mendez, to help DWI offenders avoid criminal and administrative penalties connected to their arrests. In exchange for items of value, Jessen allegedly failed to appear at required criminal settings for offenders who retained Clear, knowing that his absence would allow the attorney to seek dismissal of the proceedings.
The alleged compensation also took noncash forms. Court documents allege that after Jessen expressed concerns to a co-conspirator, a senior BCSO deputy, about accepting cash payments for his participation, he agreed to receive gifts instead. Those gifts allegedly included a Pit Boss grill and smoker, a Sharp large-screen television, and Craftsman tools with a toolbox. Jessen also allegedly received free legal services — among them representation while he was under investigation for tipping off DEA targets — along with alcohol, hotel rooms, and other benefits during the course of the scheme.
The indictment charges Jessen with conspiracy to commit interference with commerce by extortion under color of official right. If convicted on this count, Jessen faces up to 20 years in prison. Within the same investigation, thirteen people — including Clear and Mendez — have pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from their involvement in the conspiracy, while Jessen’s own case now stands at its beginning.
Public Reaction and Consequences
The announcement came jointly from First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office. The FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the Albuquerque Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico is handling the prosecution. The most concrete consequence visible in the record is Jessen’s changed legal position: he now answers a federal extortion-conspiracy indictment carrying a potential 20-year term, in addition to the federal convictions handed down earlier in 2026. No comment from Jessen or his attorneys appears in the release.
Current Status
Jessen’s case stands at the indictment stage as of November 4, 2026, with prosecution pending in New Mexico’s federal district court. The single charged count — conspiracy to commit interference with commerce by extortion under color of official right — exposes him to up to 20 years imprisonment upon conviction. No plea or trial date appears in the announcement, and the investigation that produced his indictment remains ongoing. His earlier conviction stands as fact; everything alleged in the indictment awaits proof. The Justice Department’s release states the governing principle directly: “An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
Impact on Their Career/Life
The alleged conspiracy runs from March 2018 through January 2024 and rests on Jessen’s official position, so the accusations cover the stretch in which he worked as a Bernalillo County deputy. He already carries federal convictions for obstruction and false statements from earlier in 2026, and a conviction here would stack further prison exposure on top of that record. Within the broader investigation, he is the first person charged even as thirteen others have already admitted participating.
Sources
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Mexico, “Former BCSO Officer Indicted in Federal DWI Corruption Investigation,” November 4, 2026. source