In a quiet neighborhood in Las Cruces, things aren't always what they seem. You might think a magistrate judge would be the last person to end up in the middle of a federal gang investigation, but that's exactly where Joel Cano Las Cruces NM found himself in early 2025. It’s one of those stories that sounds like a plot from a TV crime drama, yet it played out right here in Doña Ana County.
The situation started with a simple handyman job and ended with federal agents, a smashed cellphone, and a permanent ban from the bench.
The Downfall of Joel Cano in Las Cruces NM
Joel Cano served as a magistrate judge in Doña Ana County for roughly 14 years. He had a long career in law enforcement before that, so he was a well-known figure in the local legal community. Honestly, people were shocked when the news broke. The trouble began not in a courtroom, but in the guesthouse behind his home.
In late 2023, Nancy Cano, Joel’s wife, hired a 23-year-old Venezuelan national named Cristhian Ortega-Lopez to do some repairs around their house. Eventually, Ortega-Lopez and two other men moved into the Canos' rental unit. According to Joel Cano, the men presented paperwork showing they were asylum seekers with scheduled court dates. He claimed they were just trying to get on their feet.
The Department of Justice saw things very differently.
Federal authorities alleged that Ortega-Lopez wasn't just a tenant; they claimed he was a member of Tren de Aragua, a notorious transnational gang from Venezuela. By February 2025, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) moved in. They arrested Ortega-Lopez at the Cano residence on charges of being an illegal alien in possession of firearms.
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The Hammer and the Evidence
This is where the story gets really messy for Joel Cano Las Cruces NM.
After the initial arrest of the tenant, federal agents returned to the property in April 2025 with another search warrant. They were looking for a specific missing cellphone. During that search, Joel Cano reportedly made a stunning admission. He told investigators that he had smashed Ortega-Lopez’s phone with a hammer and tossed the pieces into a city dumpster weeks earlier.
Why would a judge do that? Cano reportedly told agents he thought the photos and videos on the phone would "reflect negatively" on the tenant.
Federal prosecutors didn't take that lightly. They charged Joel Cano with tampering with evidence. His wife, Nancy, was charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence, with the government alleging she tried to help Ortega-Lopez delete his Facebook account to scrub incriminating photos.
A Career Cut Short
The fallout was immediate and permanent. By March 2025, Joel Cano had resigned from his position as a magistrate judge. The New Mexico Judicial Standards Commission had already begun disciplinary proceedings, and the New Mexico Supreme Court didn't hold back.
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In a rare and severe move, the state's highest court issued a ruling that permanently barred Joel Cano from ever holding judicial office in New Mexico again. He can't run for judge, he can't exercise judicial authority, and he can't even officiate a wedding.
It was a total collapse of a decades-long career.
The Controversy Surrounding the Gang Allegations
There is a lot of debate about the specifics of this case. You’ve got federal agents pointing to tattoos and social media posts as "clear indicators" of Tren de Aragua membership. On the other side, Cano’s defense and some community observers have questioned if the gang labels were applied too broadly.
In a response letter to the state court, Cano pushed back hard. He argued that ICE had already processed these men at the border and that they were simply asylum seekers. He claimed he didn't know anything about gang ties until the morning of the raid.
Still, the evidence tampering charge is what really stuck. Regardless of whether the tenants were gang members or not, a judge destroying a potential piece of evidence is a massive legal "no-no."
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What’s the Status Now?
As of mid-2025, both Joel and Nancy Cano were released on $10,000 bonds while awaiting trial. If they are convicted of the federal felony charges, they could face up to 20 years in prison.
Meanwhile, Ortega-Lopez pleaded guilty in October 2025 to illegal gun possession and conspiring to destroy evidence. His plea agreement confirmed that he had indeed handled firearms—some of which were allegedly linked to the Canos’ daughter, April Cano, who is a social media influencer and gun enthusiast.
Summary of Key Events
- December 2023: Ortega-Lopez enters the US and is later hired by the Canos.
- February 2025: HSI raids the Cano property; Ortega-Lopez is arrested.
- March 2025: Joel Cano resigns from the bench.
- April 2025: The Canos are arrested on federal evidence tampering charges.
- October 2025: Ortega-Lopez pleads guilty to federal charges.
Basically, this case has become a flashpoint for local politics in Las Cruces, highlighting tensions over border security, judicial ethics, and the reach of international gangs.
If you are following this case, the best way to stay informed is to monitor the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico records or local Las Cruces news outlets like the Las Cruces Sun-News. Court dates for the Canos' trial will likely be the next major development in this saga.