WildCard 7 | KASA TV

State supressed $11 million fraud case

Larry Barker — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:30:00 GMT

A New Mexico cabinet secretary lied twice about why a fraud investigation into a luxury homebuilder was dropped in 2011, then admitted he hadn’t reviewed all the evidence before re-opening the investigation earlier this month.

Feds penalize Sandia Labs millions

Larry Barker — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:30:00 GMT

Sandia National Laboratory’s recent safety record is so bad, it’s been chastised by an internal review board, condemned by the federal government and cost taxpayers millions of dollars, according to two confidential reports.

Federal TV project a $10M boondoggle

Larry Barker — Fri, 10 May 2013 04:30:00 GMT

When it comes to the annals of government waste, the Enhanced Learning and Knowledge Network ranks up there with the best – or worst – of them.

Blame-game roundabout

Larry Barker — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:37:32 GMT

The short stretch of road next to Interstate 25 in Albuquerque is so poorly designed, it practically encourages drivers to break the law.

Nowhere Express

Larry Barker — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:19:01 GMT

It’s an 8-mile railroad line built by the federal government more than 30 years ago in southern New Mexico at a cost of $3.6 million, which translates to about $8.4 million in today’s dollars. But shortly after it was completed, the government promptly abandoned it.

Former assessor fleeces property owners

Larry Barker — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:11:47 GMT

Before she left office, former Bernalillo County Assessor Karen Montoya bungled hundreds of tax assessments and illegally fleeced property owners out of what could top a million dollars. Now, the vast majority of those property owners have no recourse to get their money back and are stuck with the exorbitant tax bills for good.

Sheriff moves out of state collects pay

Larry Barker — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:16:03 GMT

The 4,000 square miles of rugged southwestern New Mexico includes Truth or Consequences, Elephant Butte Lake and Caballo Lake. But today, one thing Sierra County doesn’t include is its duly-elected sheriff, according to an investigation by News 13’s Larry Barker.

PERA ignores errors that hurt retirees

Larry Barker — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 13:34:39 GMT

New Mexico’s Public Employees Retirement Association has known for years that it’s been underpaying some retirees while overpaying others, yet the agency failed to address the discrepancies.

Lab stumbles as bizarre device fails

Larry Barker — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 13:30:00 GMT

The new Scientific Laboratory in Albuquerque cost taxpayers $86 million by the time it was finished two years ago.

Law returning licenses to DWI suspects

Larry Barker — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 13:39:46 GMT

New Mexico highways are crawling with drunk drivers who have figured out the secret to beating the system and getting their driver’s licenses back, according to a seven-month investigation by News 13’s Larry Barker.

$7M luxury-estate taxed as pasture

Larry Barker — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 14:13:51 GMT

The 3-acre Tuscan estate nestled in Albuquerque’s North Valley is the most expensive piece of residential real estate in Bernalillo County.

Illegal horse racing runs wild

Larry Barker — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 13:02:04 GMT

Nearly every weekend, hundreds gather in the New Mexico outback for illegal horse racing that often includes big money, violence and animal cruelty.

'Imaginary' insurance cost families

Larry Barker — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 13:04:18 GMT

New Mexico state employees who pay for extra life insurance take heed: You’d better make sure all your ducks are in a row or your family could end up with nothing.

City residents pocket farming subsidies

Larry Barker — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 04:01:00 GMT

A Larry Barker investigation found hundreds of Albuquerque residents have collected millions of dollars in farm payments over the years without ever planting a single seed, hoeing a row or firing up a tractor.

Win, Place or Cheat...

Larry Barker — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 12:56:58 GMT

For some time, New Mexico horse racing officials suspected that racehorses in the state were being doped with a new clandestine drug called “frog juice.”

> Web Extra: Horse Racing & Doping

Vaughn's police dept run by criminals

Larry Barker — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 04:06:00 GMT

The state of law enforcement in the tiny prairie town of Vaughn, southwest of Santa Rosa, is so bad the only qualified member of the police department is a drug-sniffing dog.

State’s pork, a monumental waste

Larry Barker — Thu, 24 May 2012 04:10:00 GMT

They stand as powerful symbols of monumental waste while New Mexico's crumbling infrastructure remains neglected and underfunded.

State workers claimed pay, didn't vote

Larry Barker — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:30:09 GMT

Hundreds of state employees defrauded taxpayers on Election Day in 2010 to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars, according to a KRQE News 13 investigation.

DA's nondisabled staff parks for free

Larry Barker — Fri, 11 May 2012 04:10:00 GMT

It is the Holy Grail of traffic infractions, and one that most drivers don’t dare violate.

State money sinks into failed projects

Larry Barker — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:03:51 GMT

Every year, state legislators funnel hundreds of millions of dollars into local pet projects and purchases. The dark side of the story is the misspending and possible corruption that follows.