For what seemed like a political lifetime, Manny Aragon answered to no one.

Ruling the state Senate for 14 years with the proverbial iron fist, Aragon was feared — and loved — perhaps more than any other Democrat in New Mexico history.

Aragon's fortune, however, changed for good Wednesday, and it looks like he'll soon be answering to jailers.

In a packed courtroom, Aragon pleaded guilty to three felony counts of conspiracy and mail fraud, accepting a plea deal that calls for 5 1/2 years in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge James Parker can accept or amend the terms of the agreement at sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled.

Prosecutor Jonathon Gerson said the plea deal "would resolve an enormously complicated proceeding." Defense attorney Ray Twohig told Parker the deal was in Aragon's best interest.

"It wasn't a very happy day for me," Aragon, 61, told reporters outside the courthouse. He said he was eager "to put this behind us and move forward," then refused to take additional questions.

The fall from power started when Aragon was indicted last year in what become known as the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Courthouse scandal. He was accused of taking $650,000 in a scheme in which he and four others allegedly bilked the state out of $4.2 million during the construction of the courthouse in Albuquerque. Aragon initially had faced one count of conspiracy, nine of mail fraud and five of money laundering.

The plea sent political shock waves around the state.

"It's a real bad day for the Legislature," said Senate Pro Tem Tim Jennings. "It's a real bad day."

"None of us likes it when someone violates the public trust, and I think that's what happened," said Jennings, a Roswell Democrat who lost a Senate leadership battle with Aragon in 2001.

That year, Aragon was ousted as Senate president pro tem, a position he had held since 1988, when three Democrats joined with Republicans to remove him from the chamber's top leadership post. Aragon reclaimed a leadership job 10 months later when Senate Democrats named him majority floor leader.

"Those of use who have been there a long time take it very seriously. It really kind of hurts," Jennings said.

In San Miguel County, "I would say most people are sad and surprised and certainly concerned because Manny has been a good friend to Northern New Mexico," said Martin Suazo, the county's Democratic Party chairman.

San Miguel is the county where Aragon served as president of New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, a job he got after leaving the Senate in 2004. His two-year tenure cost the school hundreds of thousands of dollars paid out to faculty members who filed discrimination or wrongful termination suits against the school because of Aragon's actions.

The school paid Aragon $200,000 to buy out his contract.

Democrats in another area where Aragon was well-known, Albuquerque's South Valley, were also stunned by the news.

"I'm surprised it's come to this point," said Sen. James Taylor, D-Albuquerque.

"I think a lot of people in this community and the people I know that know Manny are probably disappointed in the final outcome, I think because they believe like I did that a full hearing would have shown a gray area that exists in our laws. For it to come to this with actual pleading guilty is a shame."

Taylor in 2004 went from the state House to taking over Aragon's seat in the Senate.

Sen. Phil Griego, D-San Jose, called Wednesday "a very sad day." Griego, a longtime ally of Aragon's, said, "Manny was such a mentor to a lot of us. He guided us through and taught us the protocol of the Senate. He's a good friend, and he'll always be a friend. I just feel sorry for him. I wish I could do something for him, but all I know to do is pray."

Gov. Bill Richardson's office released a statement saying, "The governor is satisfied that the judicial process has run its course. We have many dedicated public officials serving honorably on behalf of New Mexicans, and it's time to move forward and work to restore the public trust."

Aragon left his mark on the state.

The National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque named a tower after the former senator — the Manny M. Aragon Torreon. But on Wednesday, the executive director of the center, Eduardo Diaz, said the center's board at its meeting next month will be looking at the possibility of renaming the tower.

The courthouse scandal set off a political firestorm before Aragon was even indicted.

Shortly before the 2006 election, when U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, a Republican, was facing a tough re-election battle against Democrat Patricia Madrid, both Wilson and U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., made calls to then-U.S. Attorney David Iglesias asking about the status of the Aragon case. Iglesias later said he felt he was being pressured to indict Aragon before the election. Wilson and Domenici have denied pressuring Iglesias.

The matter made national news in early 2007 after Iglesias spoke publicly about being forced out of his job. The firing of Iglesias and seven other U.S. attorneys by the Bush administration, apparently for political reasons, sparked a national controversy that led to the resignation of U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. (Iglesias had also lost favor with the Bush administration because Republican lawyers in New Mexico complained about Iglesias' decision not to pursue "voter fraud" allegations.)

In a pre-trial motion, Aragon's lawyers asked the judge to dismiss the charges because, they clamed, Argon was improperly targeted by Republicans.

What might be the political impact of Aragon's plea — less than three weeks before the election?

University of New Mexico political scientist Lonna Atkeson said the news might not have as long of a shelf life as it might have had in the past.

"This is a great opportunity for the Republicans to point out the Democrat's hegemony in the state; that's their job," she said. "I think the problem for them is it's not going to have a lot of mileage. The economy is the loudest thing right now, and then the election."

The state GOP was quick to comment on the conviction.

"Republicans have known that Manny Aragon has been a part of corrupt, backroom politics for decades. It's an unfortunate episode for New Mexico, but Aragon admitting his guilt only proves what we've known for a long time," said spokeswoman Shira Rawlinson.

State Democratic Party chairman Brian Colón didn't return a message left with his spokeswoman seeking comment.

Taylor, who lost his re-election bid this June, said Aragon's plea in a way caps a leadership change in the Democratic Party.

"There was a faction that always felt they were on the outs because the party was Raymond and Manny," he said, referring to former House Speaker Raymond Sanchez.

"I don't think it hurts the Democratic Party. It makes some in the party structure happy because they are the new powers now or the perceived powers."

Jennings said he wants people to remember the positive things Aragon did during his tenure in the Senate, including proposing paying for cancer treatment with cigarette taxes and helping people with disabilities.

"We should remember and learn from the bad things, but we should remember the good things too," he said, adding he doesn't want to belittle what Aragon did. "What he did was wrong, wrong, wrong, and I think we all know that."

Aragon's plea comes only days after three other defendants in the courthouse case — engineer Raul Parra, former court administrator Toby Martinez and his wife, Sandra — entered guilty pleas.

Three others — architect Marc Schiff; Ken Schultz, a lobbyist and former Albuquerque mayor; and subcontractor Manuel Guara — pleaded guilty last year to one count of conspiracy and one count of mail fraud in the case. That leaves only construction manager Michael Murphy still charged in the case. He has said he is innocent.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Kate Nash at 986-3036 or knash@sfnewmexican.com. Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com.