Disbarred attorney grilled over involvement in DWI scheme in New Mexico
“The harm was to our trust in society. Trust in institutions. Trust in the legal system. Trust in law enforcement. Those are the things that my client has a great deal of remorse about,” Attorney Thomas Clark told KOAT
TURN ON YOUR NOTIFICATIONS TO GET THE MOST UP TO DATE WEATHER FORECASTS ON THE GO. A FORMER NEW MEXICO ATTORNEY AT THE CENTER OF THE DWI SCANDAL IN COURT TODAY. IT’S BEEN OVER A YEAR NOW SINCE HE PLEADED GUILTY TO FEDERAL CHARGES. FAITH EGBUONU WAS ALSO AT THE COURTHOUSE. HIS ATTORNEY TELLING ME IT’S A COMPLEX CASE AND A LOT OF MOVING PARTS, WHICH HE SAYS TAKES TIME TO COME INTO FRUITION. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT YOUR ROLE IN THIS? HIS ROLE IN THIS? HE PLEADED GUILTY. WHAT DOES HE HAVE TO SAY? WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY? THE DOCUMENTS, THE PLEA DOCUMENTS SPEAK FOR ITSELF. THAT IS FORMER NEW MEXICO ATTORNEY THOMAS COLLIER AND HIS ATTORNEY, THOMAS CLARK, BOTH MEETING WITH A JUDGE AND ATTORNEYS TO REVIEW THE PROCESS OF HIS PENDING CASE. IS THERE ANY REMORSE FOR THE VICTIMS INVOLVED? COLLIER. UNLESS YOU WANT TO SPEAK ON HIS BEHALF, THAT’S FINE. WHAT I CAN SAY IS WE WILL STAND BEFORE THE COURT AND BE JUDGED BASED ON FEDERAL RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE. THE SENTENCING GUIDELINES. EARLIER THIS MORNING, AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO FEDERAL CHARGES OVER A YEAR AGO FOR HIS ROLE IN A SCHEME TO DISMISS CASES INVOLVING DRIVERS SUSPECTED OF DWI IN EXCHANGE FOR MONEY AND ALCOHOL. TONIGHT, IT ALMOST FELT LIKE A NIGHTMARE AND HONESTLY, IT REALLY WAS A NIGHTMARE. THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION, REPRESENTING CARLOS SMITH, WHO CLAIMS HE WAS FALSELY ARRESTED AND PRESSURED TO PAY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO HAVE CHARGES DROPPED. BUT AGAIN, I HAVE TO ASK, IS THERE ANY REMORSE FOR THE VICTIMS AND THE PAIN THAT HE CAUSED? MY CLIENT HAS ALREADY MY CLIENT’S ALREADY PLED GUILTY, BUT REMORSE FOR THE VICTIMS, THE PEOPLE. WELL, LET ME LET ME ASK YOU THIS. AND AND I REPRESENT A LOT OF DEFENDANTS WHO DO A LOT OF TERRIBLE THINGS. AND INVOLVE DEATH, TRAFFICKING, DRUGS. AND I ASK YOU IN RETURN, YOU ASKED ME A QUESTION ABOUT VICTIMS. THIS IS NOT A VICTIMLESS CRIME, BUT I WANT TO ASK YOU, WHO ARE THESE ALLEGED VICTIMS? THE SEAT WAS INVOLVED. THE WHO? DECEIT. WELL, AND MY CLIENT’S TAKING. TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THAT DECEIT. HE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE SITUATION AT HAND. WOULD YOU SAY SO? SO THAT’S WHAT I’M SAYING. EVEN THOUGH YOU’RE SAYING WE’RE THE VICTIMS, KNOW THE SITUATION, WHAT YOU’RE SAYING, WHAT I CAN TELL YOU, WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THE HARM WAS TO OUR TRUST IN SOCIETY. TRUST IN INSTITUTIONS, TRUST IN THE LEGAL SYSTEM, TRUST IN LAW ENFORCEMENT. AND THOSE THINGS ARE ARE THE THINGS THAT MY CLIENT HAS A GREAT DEAL OF REMORSE ABOUT. IF THEY WANT TO. KO
Disbarred attorney grilled over involvement in DWI scheme in New Mexico
“The harm was to our trust in society. Trust in institutions. Trust in the legal system. Trust in law enforcement. Those are the things that my client has a great deal of remorse about,” Attorney Thomas Clark told KOAT
Former attorney Thomas Clear III appeared in Federal Court on Tuesday, June 23, 2026 for a status conference to review the process of his pending case involving the DWI Enterprise Scandal. Timeline: DWI Corruption Scandal On Tuesday, KOAT’s Faith Egbuonu asked Clear and his attorney Thomas M. Clark a series of questions regarding Clear’s involvement into the DWI Enterprise Scandal. Clark spoke on Clear’s behalf. View the video above for the exchange.According to the federal indictment, officers and deputies from the Albuquerque Police Department, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and New Mexico State Police worked alongside Clear and his private investigator Ricardo Mendez in a “DWI Enterprise” to dismiss cases involving drivers suspected of DWI in exchange for money.MORE: Thousands of DWI cases could be connected to ongoing DWI scandal “In this case, word from the prosecutor was they are still gathering some information, still investigating and they’re not quite ready to go into a sentencing which could mean that there’s still more information, because of course one of the issues is— do they have everything they need to move forward with the sentencing on this case,” KOAT legal expert John Day said.Clear has been permanently disbarred from practicing law in New Mexico and the federal court system after he pled guilty to federal charges for his involvement in the DWI Enterprise Scandal on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. According to the courts, he could be sentenced before the end of 2026.Stay updated from the latest on the KOAT app. Download here
Former attorney Thomas Clear III appeared in Federal Court on Tuesday, June 23, 2026 for a status conference to review the process of his pending case involving the DWI Enterprise Scandal.
Timeline: DWI Corruption Scandal
On Tuesday, KOAT’s Faith Egbuonu asked Clear and his attorney Thomas M. Clark a series of questions regarding Clear’s involvement into the DWI Enterprise Scandal. Clark spoke on Clear’s behalf. View the video above for the exchange.
According to the federal indictment, officers and deputies from the Albuquerque Police Department, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and New Mexico State Police worked alongside Clear and his private investigator Ricardo Mendez in a “DWI Enterprise” to dismiss cases involving drivers suspected of DWI in exchange for money.
MORE: Thousands of DWI cases could be connected to ongoing DWI scandal
“In this case, word from the prosecutor was they are still gathering some information, still investigating and they’re not quite ready to go into a sentencing which could mean that there’s still more information, because of course one of the issues is— do they have everything they need to move forward with the sentencing on this case,” KOAT legal expert John Day said.
Clear has been permanently disbarred from practicing law in New Mexico and the federal court system after he pled guilty to federal charges for his involvement in the DWI Enterprise Scandal on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. According to the courts, he could be sentenced before the end of 2026.
Stay updated from the latest on the KOAT app. Download
