3 New Mexico men accused of misusing federal credit cards

Three New Mexico men accused of federal theft charges for allegedly trying to defraud the Bureau of Indian Education have pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors say 67-year-old Simon Nunez Jr. of Albuquerque, 63-year-old David Parrish of Albuquerque and 56-year-old Leland Martinez of Los Lunas were arraigned Tuesday.

The men allegedly misused government-issued credit cards to buy thousands of dollars of goods and services for their personal use between August 2013 and December 2016.

They have been released under pretrial supervision pending trial, which has yet to be scheduled.

The men were indicted last month on charges of conspiracy and theft.

Nunez also is accused of making false statements to federal investigators.

Parrish and Nunez voluntarily retired from Bureau of Indian Education in December 2016 and Martinez was placed on administrative leave.