Former state worker sentenced to prison in extortion case

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A former New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department worker faces nearly four years in prison on federal extortion convictions.
A federal judge on Thursday sentenced 45-year-old Larry Mendoza of Santa Fe and ordered him to pay over $43,000 in restitution.
Mendoza pleaded guilty Nov. 17 to a three-count criminal information filed that day.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Mendoza solicited and accepted payments totaling $2,500 from a business owner in return for reducing the business owner's tax obligation.
The office also said Mendoza acknowledged he engaged in a similar pattern of criminal conduct with other business owners and that his conduct was responsible for losses in excess of $40,000.
The department terminated Mendoza after placing him on administrative leave in May 2017.