Friends say bye to prison-bound Aragón

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The guest of honor at a going-away party Wednesday night isn't going far, just to Colorado where former heavyweight político Manny Aragón will be checking into federal prison in the next week.

Cars lined the streets around Ben Michael's Cafe near Old Town as friends of the legendary political figure gathered to say goodbye to him.

However the news media were not on the invitation list, and partygoers and the guest of honor proved to be camera shy. KRQE News 13 only caught a glimpse of Aragón dressed in a blue shirt going out a side door as the party ended.

In March a federal judge sentenced Aragón to more than five years in prison for his role in the $4 million rake-off from construction of the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Courthouse. He must report to the federal prison at Florence, Colo., by June 10.

Political blogger Joe Monahan reported that the organizers of the sendoff asked the guests to write their "Manny memories" on cards to give Aragón.

Aragón, from Albuquerque's South Valley, rose to power in the New Mexico State Senate attaining the title of president pro tempore before being unseated in a political coup. He later became president of New Mexico Highlands University.

The courthouse swindle involved kickbacks and padded invoices that siphoned money from the project that Aragón had helped to shepherd through the Legislature. He and seven other people eventually cut plea deals with federal prosecutors.