Corruption Trial: Jones Takes Stand In Own Defense

A hush of anticipation filled the federal courtroom as attorney and former county judge Luther Jones took the stand Wednesday afternoon.

Among those in the gallery were Jones’ two daughters.

Jones’ attorney wasted no time asking him whether he was involved in the scheme the government has alleged. Jones is accused of conspiring with former District Clerk Gilbert Sanchez to steer a county contract to Altep in late 2003 through 2004. Sanchez and Jones are being tried in federal court on two counts of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and deprivation of honest services.

“You’ve heard the government’s case,” defense attorney Stephen Peters said to Jones. “Did you ever enter into any deal with Fernando Parra, Gilbert Sanchez, Betti Flores, Martie Jobe or Charles Scruggs to defraud El Paso County out of money or property?”

Jones said, “No, I did not.”

Peters then asked Jones if he ever gave anything of value, meals, trips, or campaign contributions in exchange for someone giving an official vote on behalf of Jones or his client, Altep owner Roger Miller.

“No, never!” replied.

Jones was on the stand for more than two hours and was extremely talkative as he tried to explain email after email with no loss for words.

Jones is expected to be on the stand again on Thursday morning.

Earlier Wednesday, a longtime law partner of Jones took the stand for the defense.

Perhaps no one knew more about what Jones was up to in 2003 and 2004 than Jobe, who was hired by Jones right out of law school in 1987.

Jobe testified for several hours about her relationship with Jones, as well as his relationship with Sanchez and his former computer guy and office manager Fernando Parra.

Jobe said Jones was a mentor to her, as he was to Sanchez and Parra.

Jobe testified that Parra “loved” to listen to Jones talk and considered him one of the only positive male influences he had in his life.

At one point, Parra even lived in one of Jones’ three apartments in the Fairmont building in West El Paso.

Testimony then turned to an email from Jones to Jobe in February 2004, asking Jobe whether they should pay for a trip for Sanchez and Parra to a conference in Las Vegas involving Altep.

Jobe said she never saw the email in 2004, which may explain why she too was not indicted in this case.

Had she seen it, she said, “I would have talked to Luther about it and told him I didn’t think he should be engaged in paying for travel. I felt Luther was being taken advantage of. He was always picking up the tab. I thought he was being taken advantage of by a lot of people.”

Jobe then pointed out that Jones’ relationship and history of payments to Sanchez and Parra went back far before the dealings with Altep.