Former Magistrate Court Judge, wife appear for detention hearing
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- Former Magistrate Court Judge Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy Cano, appeared in court once again Tuesday morning for a "Preliminary/Detention Hearing," according to Court records obtained by ABC-7.
The hearings took place before Magistrate Judge Gregory J. Fouratt at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
On Friday, both Joel and Nancy made their initial court appearances on Friday.
Court documents also show that the basis for Joel's arrest was "Tampering with Evidence". Nancy was arrested for "Conspiracy to Tamper with Evidence".
Homeland Security executed a search warrant on their property on April 24th, 2025.
They were looking for evidence that was not found during a previous raid on February 28th, 2025. Joel Cano admitted to destroying a cell phone that belonged to Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, an alleged member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
On phone calls monitored by law enforcement, Nancy Cano allegedly agreed to delete Facebook accounts for Ortega-Lopez, and was in possession of the phone that Joel Cano allegedly destroyed.
Stay tuned to ABC-7 on air and online for updates.
