A New Mexico judge sentenced a failed GOP candidate to 80 years in prison Wednesday for organizing a series of drive-by shootings at the homes of Democratic officials following his 2022 election loss, according to multiple reports.
Federal prosecutors said Solomon Peña was convinced without evidence that he was the victim of election fraud. He then hired two men to carry out the attacks targeting four Albuquerque officials, including the current state house speaker, between December 2022 and January 2023, according to Reuters.
Earlier in 2025, a jury convicted Peña on 13 felony counts related to the incidents. Prosecutors said Peña pressured members of the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners to reject the election results. When they refused, he hired Jose Trujillo and Demetrio Trujillo to open fire on the officials’ residences, according to authorities. Both men pleaded guilty in 2024.
“Violence and intimidation have no place in our elections,” U.S. Attorney for New Mexico Ryan Ellison said in a statement following the sentencing.
Peña’s attorney, Nicholas Hart, said his client plans to appeal the conviction, Reuters reported.
The case drew attention as part of a broader pattern of threats and violence towards politicians in recent years, including the 2022 hammer attack on the husband of Democratic California Rep. Nancy Pelosi. (RELATED: Police Say Arsonist Attacked Governor’s Residence, Set Mansion On Fire While Family Slept Inside)
Peña lost his state house race by a substantial margin, receiving less than 26% of the vote in his Albuquerque district.
