Aug. 14 (UPI) — A failed GOP candidate in New Mexico has been sentenced to 80 years behind bars for orchestrating a shooting spree targeting his perceived political adversaries following his defeat in the 2022 midterm elections, which he believed was rigged against him.
Solomon Pena, 42, was sentenced Wednesday, to 960 months in prison, a fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release, the Justice Department said in a statement.
“Violence and intimidation have no place in our elections,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison said. “This sentence shows that through the tireless work of our agents and prosecutors, we will protect our democracy and bring offenders to justice.”
A federal jury convicted Pena in March of one count of conspiracy, four counts of intimidation and interference with federally protected activities and several firearms charges, as well as three counts of solicitation to commit a crime of violence.
Pena ran as a Republican for the District 14 seat in the New Mexico House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections, and was handily defeated by Democrat Miguel Garcia, who secured 74% of the vote.
“I never conceded my HD 14 race,” he said in a statement published to what was then called Twitter, now X, following the election, with a picture of himself wearing a red “Make America Great Again” sweatshirt and flags supporting Donald Trump‘s 2024 re-election campaign.
“Now researching my options,” he said.
Following the election, the failed political candidate cried foul and was accused of pressuring members of the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners not to certify the results.
Authorities said he had visited several of their homes to lodge complaints over voter fraud and election rigging. When they did not acquiesce to his demands, Pena turned violent.
Shortly after he visited the commissioners, several of their homes were shot at between Dec. 4, 2022, and Jan. 3, 2023 — specifically, the home of Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa on Dec. 4, New Mexico House Speaker Javier Martinez on Dec. 8, former Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie O’Malley on Dec. 11 and State Sen. Linda Lopez on Jan. 3.
Pena was arrested mid-January 2023 amid a hunt for a suspect. Inside his vehicle, authorities found two guns, 800 fentanyl pills and cash.
Federal prosecutors said the shootings were the product of a conspiracy involving four men Pena paid to shoot up their houses. The prosecutors also said that while in jail, he tried to solicit inmates to murder witnesses to prevent their testimony during his trial.
Two co-conspirators — Jose Trujillo and Demetrio Trujillo — previously pleaded guilty to their involvement in the crime, with the former being sentenced to 37 months in prison and the latter, 180 months.