Richardson Receives Shotgun As ‘Personal’ Gift

SANTA FE (AP) – Governor Richardson plans to keep a shotgun he received as a gift from a group of about ten people, including securities broker Guy Riordan.

A spokesman for Richardson, Pahl Shipley, says the shotgun worth about two-thousand dollars — was a personal gift, not a political gift. Richardson has said that the state’s ethics and campaign finances laws are very weak, and lawmakers should toughen them next year.

Another Richardson spokesman, Gilbert Gallegos, has said the governor would be open to considering a ban on gifts to public officials. Riordan is a friend and political supporter of Richardson.

Former state Treasurer Michael Montoya has said that he took cash payments from Riordan in return for state business. Riordan has denied the allegations.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-05-01-06 0948EDT