The House subcommittee looking into the possible impeachment of PRC member Jerome Block Jr. hired a former federal prosecutor as its legal counsel on Thursday.

Robert Gorence has agreed to gather and present evidence for the panel and provide legal advice.

Gorence worked in the U.S. Attorney's Office from 1986 to 2000. During the last six years of his time there, from 1994 to 2000, he was first assistant U.S. attorney.

"We are fortunate to have someone of Mr. Gorence's caliber serve as our special counsel. This is an important undertaking and the subcommittee will be well served by Mr. Gorence's assistance," Reps Joe Cervantes and Zach Cook, co-chairmen of the panel, said in a joint statement.

Compensation for Gorence hasn't been determined, said John Yaeger of the Legislative Council Service. The Legislature has authorized up to $1 million to spend on the impeachment process, though legal fees are only part of the total cost.

According to a news release, Gorence was "involved in hundreds of major investigations and prosecutions, personally tried 93 jury trials and argued 47 cases before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals."

He was the lead prosecutor in the controversial espionage case against Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho Lee,who pleaded guilty to one felony after the most serious charges against him were dropped.

Since leaving the government, Gorence has been in private practice in Albuquerque, concentrating on criminal-defense and civil-rights cases, for which he's had his share of controversial and colorful clients.

He is representing former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron, who has been indicted on charges of fraud over unaccounted-for federal money for a voter-education project her office administered.

Gorence was one of the lawyers representing political figure Carlos Fierro in his vehicular homicide case. He represented former state Insurance Superintendent Eric Serna (who never was charged with a crime) as well as Raul Parra, a co-defendant of former state Senate leader Manny Aragon in the Bernalillo County Courthouse scandal.

Gorence also represented Albuquerque race car driver Bobby Unser, who was facing misdemeanor charges after a confrontation with Bernalillo County sheriff's deputies in 2006. Charges against Unser were dropped.

Also considered for the special counsel position was former Supreme Court Justice Paul Kennedy, who was special counsel to the legislative committee that investigated possible impeachment charges against former state Treasurer Robert Vigil in 2005. Vigil resigned from office as that committee was about to complete its work.

Hours before the Gorence announcement, Kennedy spoke about the Vigil process at the panel's meeting Thursday. During the talk, Rep. Debbie Rodella, D-Española, cautioned Kennedy not to refer to the current investigation because he was not the special counsel for the current subcommittee.

Since the Vigil investigation, Kennedy also was hired to be special counsel for the state Judicial Standards Commission when it investigated Debbie Rodella's husband, former Rio Arriba Magistrate Tommy Rodella. That investigation led to his removal from office by the state Supreme Court.

Asked whether she was opposed to Kennedy being hired for the Block investigation, Rep. Rodella pointed out that officially she doesn't have the power to hire anyone.

Tommy Rodella was elected Rio Arriba County sheriff last year.

Block, who represents a Northern New Mexico district that includes most of Santa Fe, is under investigation by the Attorney General's Office over matters including possible misuse of a state-issued gasoline card and driving a state vehicle with a suspended driver's license.

Block, a first-term member of the regulatory body — who recently admitted that he had struggled with addiction to prescription drugs — also has been indicted on criminal charges related to public campaign funds during his 2008 PRC race.

He has said he won't resign from his $90,000-a-year post. But he hasn't said whether he'll seek re-election next year. Several other Democratic candidates have announced they are running for Block's seat.

The subcommittee meets again next week.

Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com. Read his political blog at roundhouseroundup.com.