Ex-cop accused of bribery

The former Las Vegas police officer who was arrested and charged last September with fraud and other crimes is back in jail on new charges.

Shawn Montoya, 41, of the 700 block of Dora Celeste, was arrested last week on multiple felonies and misdemeanors. Court documents allege that Montoya once again forged documents to make it appear as though he was a licensed contractor in good standing.

Documents also allege that he then tried to steal business away from the licensed contractor he had been working for and that when he was caught, he tried to cover his tracks by offering a $1,000 bribe to one individual and asking another witness to destroy evidence.

Montoya is the former Las Vegas police officer who got in trouble in 2009 for defrauding the city.

Montoya has been charged with two counts of forgery, one count of identity theft, two counts of criminal solicitation, all fourth-degree felonies and one count of bribery of a witness, a third-degree felony. He is also facing five misdemeanor counts of contracting without a license.

The criminal solicitation charges stem from allegations that he tried to get an insurance agent to perjure herself and that he tried to get another witness to tamper with evidence.

The criminal complaint outlining the charges and arrest warrant affidavit were filed in San Miguel County Magistrate Court on March 4.

According to those documents:
Montoya was working for Xtreme Builders, a local contractor that was hired to do various projects at the Monte Vista Apartments at 500 Mountain View Drive. Montoya later submitted his own proposals under his own company, Top General Construction. Montoya submitted a document to the property manager of the apartment complex purporting to verify that he was insured and another one indicating that he was licensed.

Toby Sanchez, owner of Xtreme Builders, ran into an employee of the apartment complex at Hacienda on Feb 26, and Sanchez asked about a proposal he submitted regarding concrete work. The employee reportedly informed Sanchez that Montoya told workers of the complex that Xtreme Construction was too busy but that Montoya would submit a bid for the work through his company, Top General Construction.

Sanchez told authorities that he advised the worker that he should verify that Montoya was licensed because he knew he wasn’t. Sanchez also told the investigator that Montoya asked him if he had called the District Attorney’s Office and that he offered him $1,000 if he wouldn’t tell the apartment complex about the fake documents.

The manager of the apartment complex told the investigator that Montoya went into her office and asked her to destroy all the documents he had provided her. She told Montoya she couldn’t do that because the documents had been sent to the corporate office in Albuquerque.

An employee at the Trujillo Insurance Agency told the investigator that the policy that Montoya used belonged to Sanchez of Xtreme Builders, though the document had been altered. She also told the investigator that Montoya had gone to her office and asked her to create a document to reflect insurance coverage when he didn’t have a policy. The employee told the investigator that Montoya also asked her to say that she had created the fake insurance form that had his name and company.

The investigator checked with the state Construction Industries Division and confirmed that neither Montoya nor Top General Construction are licensed to do business as a contractor, as required by law. The investigator was also told that the license number being used by Montoya wasn’t valid.

Montoya is facing similar charges in a separate case pending before District Judge Abigail Aragon.

In that case, which was filed last September, Montoya is accused of using a former employer’s credit card to make two large purchases and of allegedly forging an insurance document belonging to that same employer. He is also accused of forging a contractor’s license belonging to another former employer in order to establish a fake construction company.

While out on bond in that case, he racked up additional criminal charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon involving a household member, harassment and reckless driving.

Montoya is the former Las Vegas police officer who got in trouble with the law in 2009 for allegedly double-dipping while working for the city and taking gas for personal use. He pleaded guilty in 2010 to one count each of fraud and filing a false claim, both fourth-degree felonies. He was given probation, ordered to do community service and required to pay full restitution to the police department and to an insurance company that he defrauded.

He resigned from the police department in March 2008.