ALBUQUERQUE — Gov. Bill Richardson has hired a prominent white-collar attorney to represent him while a federal grand jury investigates how a top political donor landed lucrative state contracts, The Associated Press has learned.

Peter Schoenburg is a partner in an Albuquerque law firm that specializes in criminal defense, complex civil and commercial litigation, Indian law and other issues.

His hiring by Richardson was confirmed Monday to the AP by a federal law enforcement official who asked to remain unidentified because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation.

A grand jury is looking into possible "pay-to-play" dealings by CDR Financial Products, which won state transportation contracts for $1.48 million.

Richardson, who withdrew his nomination to be U.S. commerce secretary on Sunday, refused Monday to discuss the investigation or say whether he had hired a lawyer. Schoenburg did not immediately return phone calls from the AP.

According to his law firm's Web site, Schoenburg specializes in complex criminal defense work in federal and state courts. He teaches trial advocacy and evidence at the University of New Mexico's Law School as adjunct faculty.

The firm said he has successfully represented defendants accused of "a wide variety of white-collar criminal offenses involving health care, tax fraud, environmental defenses, national lab security allegations, bank fraud, mail fraud, illegal trading in sacred tribal objects and foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations."

Schoenburg holds a bachelor's degree from Yale and graduated from Rutgers Law School.

Richardson has maintained he and his administration would be cleared in the grand jury probe. The Democratic governor said he has "faith in the criminal justice process, and we must allow it to run its course."

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Associated Press writers Deborah Baker in Santa Fe and Lara Jakes Jordan in Washington contributed.




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