SANTA FE, N.M. — The New Mexico Supreme Court permanently disbarred former Taos prosecutor Cosme D. Ripol on Nov. 2 following disciplinary proceedings involving his conduct in multiple criminal prosecutions, ending a legal career spanning four decades.
The court’s five justices adopted disciplinary findings and ordered Ripol’s immediate removal from the practice of law following an Oct. 13 hearing and a July recommendation from a disciplinary panel that his misconduct warranted disbarment.
The proceedings examined Ripol’s handling of three criminal prosecutions involving Desiree Lensegrav, Daniel Chavez and Cruz Castillo, raising questions about prosecutorial conduct, the use of evidence and the fairness of criminal proceedings.
According to the Taos News, the Supreme Court’s order stated, “It is further ordered that Respondent, Cosme D. Ripol, is permanently disbarred from the practice of law in New Mexico pursuant to the Court’s authority under N.M. Const. Art. VI, § 3, and Rule 17-206(A)(1) NMRA, effective immediately.”
The court also ordered Ripol to pay $998.92 in disciplinary proceeding costs within 30 days, with interest accruing if the amount remains unpaid.
The decision followed a lengthy disciplinary process in which hearing and review panels reached different recommendations about the appropriate sanction.
A disciplinary hearing committee initially recommended a two-year suspension. However, on July 29, a three-member disciplinary panel recommended the more severe penalty of permanent disbarment.
“Based on its review, the panel believes that the misconduct revealed by this investigation is sufficiently serious to warrant disbarment,” disciplinary panel chair Roderick Kennedy wrote in the recommendation, according to the Taos News.
The Supreme Court considered Ripol’s disciplinary history, the evidence presented during the disciplinary proceedings and arguments made by his defense during the Oct. 13 hearing in Santa Fe.
Ripol had been licensed to practice law in New Mexico since 1986 and prosecuted more than 100 cases with the Eighth Judicial District Attorney’s Office, most of them in Taos County. He continued handling prosecutions while disciplinary proceedings were pending.
Eighth Judicial District Attorney Marcus Montoya responded to the ruling by emphasizing the heightened ethical obligations imposed on prosecutors.
“As the Supreme Court noted, prosecutors are held to a higher standard because of their unique responsibility to seek justice,” Montoya said in a statement reported by the Taos News.
“When improper tactics are employed in the courtroom, even by an attorney with more than thirty years of criminal law experience, that standard is not met,” Montoya added.
Montoya also acknowledged Ripol’s decades of legal work while describing the outcome as a reminder of the profession’s continuing ethical responsibilities.
“I thank Mr. Ripol for his many decades of work as both a defense attorney and prosecutor. This is an unfortunate end to his career,” Montoya said. “This serves as a reminder that our profession must continuously strive to be better and do better, and that is a never-ending commitment we will keep.”
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