New Mexico Attorney General's Office investigating Cowboys for Trump leader Couy Griffin

Otero County Commission Vice Chairman and Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin is being investigated by the New Mexico Attorney General's Office (NMAG) on grounds that Griffin violated the Campaign Reporting Act, Governmental Conduct Act and that he allegedly committed embezzlement, racketeering, money laundering and making or permitting a false voucher for public funds.

The office alleged Griffin misused campaign donations associated with Cowboys for Trump, using some of the money to pay for child support for his son. 

"Griffin has demonstrably taken official acts for personal financial interest, submitted a false public voucher, and on one known occasion has used funds from a C4T bank account to pay for personal expenses including his child support obligations," court records state.

"In each of these cases, Griffin has associated criminality with his organization, Cowboys for Trump. The extent of his criminal activity is the subject of this investigation."

Donations to Cowboys for Trump

Search warrants filed by the state Attorney General's Office show that the office is searching GoFundMe accounts associated with Cowboys for Trump, Couy Griffin and Casey Conlee that were established between January 20, 2019 until the present, court records state.

Conlee is listed in the warrant as she set up the original Cowboys for Trump GoFundMe page, court records state.

"The C4T GoFundMe page states that 'all monies given will be a direct donation to founder Couy Griffin' and will be used 'as Couy sees fit to move the organization forward,'" court records state.

Cowboys for Trump also had a GoFundMe account set up in January 2020 to raise money for legal expenses.

The Cowboys for Trump website www.cowboysfortrump.org is not operational as of Feb. 13.

When it was operational, it offered options to donate to the organization by direct donation on the website or through purchase of Cowboys for Trump merchandise.

Of the things the state Attorney General's Office is looking for include deposits, donations, account logs, withdrawals, transfers or other transactions on the GoFundMe account or account and the website.

"The total amount of money C4T has received in donations and merchandise sales is presently unknown," court records state. "The type and amount of expenditures made from these funds are also unknown.

"This is due in large part to the fact that despite good faith attempts at arbitration by the (Secretary of State), and despite losing court battles (up to the Federal level), Griffin actively refuses to register C4T as a political committee or disclose C4T's finances as required. Those funds, and their expenditure, are partially the subject of this investigation."

In July 2020, a check from a bank account for Cowboys for Trump was sent to Griffin's ex-wife for child support.

A copy of the check was included in the warrant packet.

"It is unclear why Griffin chose to use C4T money to pay for his own personal child support expenses, including making this payment in excess of his court-ordered obligation," court records state. "It is unlikely that this could reasonably be considered a C4T expense... C4T solicits donations to promote the rhetoric of former President (Donald) Trump; it does not explicitly solicit donations to pay Griffin's child support obligations."

Accusations arise from travel expenses

In August 2019, Griffin and then Otero County Commissioner Lori Bies went to Washington, D.C. for a regional conference.

NMAG investigators spoke to Bies about the event.

"According to Bies, as Otero County Commissioners it was within their purview to authorize their own official travel on behalf of the County," court records state. "As such, each of them took the official act of authorizing their travel.

Bies flew to the conference while Griffin drove, hauling his horse trailer behind him.

More:Auditor: Otero County commissioner, Cowboys for Trump founder's reimbursement may have violated law

Bies' travel voucher showed that her trip cost $1,094.90 which she submitted to the County and was later reimbursed, court records state.

Whereas, "Griffin  chose to drive his own personal diesel fueled pickup truck with large C4T stickers on the driver's and passenger side doors," court records state. 

Griffin left New Mexico on September 7, 2019 and stopped off in New York City on September 11, 2019 "where he rode horseback while at Times Square," court records state. "It should be noted that New York City is over 200 miles north of Washington, D.C. and Griffin had to pass Washington to get there."

The extra trip to New York City "exceeds the scope of the authorized travel," court records state.

Bies told NMAG investigators that she "rarely saw Griffin while he was there and only noticed him for a moment at the summit organized for county commissioners," court records state.

Griffin received an audience with then-President Donald Trump on September 12, 2019. Photos of the meeting were posted to the Cowboys for Trump Facebook page and published in the Alamogordo Daily News.

On September 23, 2019, Griffin submitted a travel voucher for $3,237.48 which included "straight per-diem" meaning that Griffin did not submit any receipts for the trip.

The Office of the State Auditor was notified of the voucher and an investigation was triggered that focused on the travel reimbursements. 

In July 2020, New Mexico State Auditor Brian Colon sent a letter to Otero County with a list of issues related to the County's travel reimbursement program.

More:State Auditor Colón: Otero County travel reimbursement procedures lacking

The Otero County Commission held a discussion about a travel resolution at their November 4, 2019 meeting.

The resolution which was voted down would have laid out a process for the County to disburse travel reimbursements to County Commissioners.

Otero County Financial Director Julianne Hall told NMAG investigators that following a public records request for the travel vouchers and several complaints from citizens, that Griffin "voluntarily opted to pay the entire $3,237.48 back to Otero County," court records state.

State Auditor Brian Colon told the Alamogordo Daily News in October 2020 that Colon's office had advised Griffin to pay the money back.

On a Facebook Live video posted to the Cowboys for Trump Facebook page on October 19, 2020, Griffin said that Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce Executive Director G.B. Oliver had raised the money for him.

More:State Auditor investigating donations by Chamber of Commerce Director to Couy Griffin

"As a county commissioner and public officer, Griffin took the official act of authorizing his own travel to Washington, D.C.," court records state. "The purpose of this trip was to represent, gather contacts with federal agencies and benefit the people of Otero County.

"Instead, Griffin used that opportunity and exploited it to further his own personal political agenda, promote Cowboys for Trump, fraudulently collect more money than he should have been reasonably due, and to meet the person who, by all accounts, appears to be his personal hero."

More:Cowboys for Trump leader, Otero commissioner Couy Griffin gets phone call from President

At the time, Griffin and Cowboys for Trump were also involved in litigation with the Secretary of State's Office about whether or not Cowboys for Trump fell under the definition of a political committee.

Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver subsequently filed a case in New Mexico District Court to enforce a federal court ruling that that Cowboys for Trump is a political committee.

More:Court asked to enforce ruling making Cowboys For Trump a political action committee

Toulouse Oliver demanded Cowboys for Trump register as a political committee, file all outstanding campaign finance reports and pay $7,800 in fines as laid out in an arbitration order filed July 7, 2020.

The arbitrator in the case was chosen by Griffin and Cowboys for Trump.

The warrants were filed in 12th Judicial District Court on Feb. 11.

The search warrants come a little less than a month after Griffin was arrested on charges related to his participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots in Washington, D.C.

More:Couy Griffin released from pretrial detention after being held on Capitol riot charges

He was detained on Jan. 17 and charged with federal charges of knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority.

Griffin makes $22,830 a year as an Otero County Commissioner and holds no other employment and has no other supplemental income, court documents state.

Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at nmaxwell@alamogordonews.com, by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter.