Justin Hunt spent more than two decades with the Albuquerque Police Department. That lengthy career ended February 7th, 2024 with a three-s sentence email thanking his superiors and letting them know he's resigning. APD had just placed Hunt on administrative leave one week prior. The department says he chose to quit rather than participate in the internal affairs investigation into his role in what's been dubbed the DWI Enterprise. A former Albuquerque Police Department lieutenant has pleaded guilty in federal court. The charges stem from a long-running investigation into how certain DWI cases were handled, from traffic stops to court appearances. The plea agreement outlines conduct that federal prosecutors describe as part of an organized scheme. According to federal filings, the investigation involves multiple law enforcement agencies and centers on how some drunk driving arrests were initiated, managed, and later resolved in court. In several cases, officers allegedly failed to appear for scheduled hearings, resulting in dismissals. The individual now pleading guilty held a supervisory rank within APD at the time. Thin blue lies, baby. At this stage, none of this comes from rumor or commentary. It comes directly from plea agreements, sworn statements, and federal court documents. What's still being determined is the full scope and the full impact of the conduct described. But one question immediately stands out. If officers believe these were legitimate DWI arrests, why would anyone involved want cases to disappear once they reached a courtroom? >> A former Albuquerque police lieutenant has admitted to playing a key role in one of New Mexico's biggest corruption scandals. Justin Hunt is the 10th and the highest ranking law enforcement officer to plead guilty in connection to the scheme that paid officers to get drunk driving cases dismissed. In his plea deal, Hunt says he took cash, legal services, and upgrades on his Jeep from attorney Thomas Clear III and his parillegal Rick Menddees for participating in the so-called DWI Enterprise. He also says Mendes tipped him off to people he knew were driving drunk because Mendes and others had spent the evening drinking with them. Andy let Mendes know that APD and Internal Affairs had learned of the scheme. Under this plea deal, Hunt faces less than five years in prison. The first to resign when the scandal became public, Hunt ended his nearly 24-year career with APD, embroiled in the public corruption scandal. KRQE investigative reporter Anne Per walks us through his time with the Albuquerque Police Department. >> Justin Hunt spent more than two decades with the Albuquerque Police Department. That lengthy career ended February 7th, 2024 with a three-s sentence email thanking his superiors and letting them know he's resigning. >> There's another detail in the timeline that stands out. Before any internal affairs interview could take place, the lieutenant resigned from the department rather than participate in the IIA investigation. At the time, no public explanation was given for that decision. Officers are not required to give statements after resigning. That's a procedural reality, not an accusation. But it does mean that internal review stopped where resignation began. >> APD had just placed Hunt on administrative leave one week prior. The department says he chose to quit rather than participate in the internal affairs investigation into his role in what's been dubbed the DWI Enterprise. >> Court records also show that Lieutenant Hunt held a state certification to teach DWI enforcement courses. That certification allowed him to instruct other officers on how drunk driving investigations should be conducted, from roadside decisions to courtroom testimony, which means the conduct described in the plea agreement wasn't coming from a lack of training. It was coming from someone responsible for it. >> Working with attorney Thomas Clear III and his parillegal, Ricardo Rick Menddees, taking bribes to get DWI cases dismissed or never file them. Hunt joined APD at just 18 years old and rose through the ranks to lieutenant, most recently serving as the Southeast Area Commander. His personnel file shows the state certified Hunt to teach DWI courses from 2012 through 2015. That was during his time in APD's DWI unit, which he served in from 2011 to 2015. But court records show he had cases with Attorney Clear from 2000, his first year on the job, to 2015. During that 15-year time frame, 20 of their 30 cases together were dismissed. That's a 2/3 dismissal rate. >> And this is where the plea agreement changes everything. Because federal prosecutors aren't alleging negligence, they're alleging coordination. According to the government, this wasn't about forgetting a court date. It was about ensuring certain cases never reached judgment. That's not a paperwork issue. That's a design choice. The defendant wasn't a patrol officer. He was a lieutenant. Someone responsible for oversight, training, and accountability. Which introduces another problem. Systems like this don't function without cooperation or silence. >> Court records also reveal Clear represented Hunt in two different cases. his divorce in 2014. And this one, >> when we changed him, he had black and blue hand here and right here. >> That's Hunt's ex-wife's family in 2016, reporting to his fellow APD officers. They believed Hunt caused that bruising to his then four-year-old son. As he says, he hit me five times. We previously shared this body camera footage with you in a KRQE investigation in which we questioned why. When the police report called this a quote simple assault, no charges were filed. The Bernalo County District Attorney told us quote witnesses were no longer willing to cooperate. So the DA at the time closed the case. So what about an internal affairs investigation by APD? The current APD administration confirmed the IIA unit did not open an investigation into the allegations in 2016, adding, quote, "There's no excuse for that failure. Had the IA investigation happened, Hunt's law enforcement certification could have been revoked. Throughout the next eight years, Hunt would instead receive promotions to sergeant and then lieutenant." Justin Hunt's personnel file includes a number of commendations for his work, even some from his time as a DWI officer. He worked in the unit alongside several officers APD's already connected to the scheme, including Joshua Montano and Anorio Alba Jr. who pleaded guilty to federal charges for their involvement. Back to you. >> All right, Ann. Thank you. Thomas Clare III and Rick Mendes along with a second attorney Rudolph Rudy Chavez also pleaded guilty to their roles in this scheme. You'll hear this framed as a bad apple. But prosecutors didn't charge a bad apple. They charged an enterprise. An enterprise requires structure, repetition, and protection. When arrests become negotiable and courtrooms become optional, justice stops being blind and starts being transactional. Stories like this are why knowing your rights during a traffic stop matters, especially in DWI investigations. I've put together a plain language know your rights guide that breaks down what police can and can't do and when silence matters. It's linked below for anyone who wants it. Thin blue lies, baby.