Former Deputy Back in Prison

By Scott Sandlin, Journal Staff Writer

Darryl Burt appeared again in court this week on new drug charges. It was the third time the former Bernalillo County sheriff's deputy has faced criminal prosecution.
Burt's fall from grace began in April 1995 with his indictment on 34 counts related to alleged sexual abuse of a 16-year-old boy.
He eventually pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts, attempting to contribute to the delinquency of a minor and attempted sexual contact with a minor, but prosecutors said at the time that he had abused his position as an officer to prey on young Mexican nationals.
The next year he was back in court facing federal cocaine distribution charges. He pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute and was sentenced to two years and nine months in the drug case.
Burt completed his prison time and supervised release and was working when he was indicted in August on a charge of conspiracy to distribute heroin. He pleaded guilty to all three counts Tuesday.
Terms of the plea agreement call for Burt, 40, to spend eight years in federal prison.
The indictment alleged Burt conspired with Martin Rivas Munguia to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin in Bernalillo and Santa Fe counties from Sept. 29 to Dec. 6, 2002.
Munguia, who also has entered a guilty plea, is set for sentencing in February, but he will be subject to deportation because he was not legally in the United States, according to the prosecution.
The case was the result of an undercover operation by the FBI and New Mexico State Police that included a wiretap and surveillance, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.