Supreme Court of New Mexico
State v. Sandoval, No. S-1-SC-40845 (N.M. 2026) — Dispositional Order of Direct Contempt (non-precedential)
Sanctioned · 9 September 2026
What was fabricated
Testimony from wholly fabricated witnesses, including two police officers; false testimony attributed to real witnesses; and misrepresented legal authority in two cited cases — in an appeal from a murder conviction.
What happened as a result
The Court held counsel in direct contempt, referred him to the Disciplinary Board, barred him from appearing before it pending that outcome, ordered $5,000 paid to the State Bar Client Protection Fund, struck all briefing in the appeal and appointed the Public Defender for new briefing.
Sources
- https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsc/en/item/538584/index.do
- https://reason.com/volokh/2026/09/14/the-brief-contained-false-testimony-from-wholly-fabricated-witnesses/
- https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/9/11/us-lawyer-cites-fake-witnesses-in-murder-case-blames-chatgpt
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