By KRWG News
New Mexico – SANTA FE, N.M. (KRWG) Public Regulation Commissioner Jerome Block Jr. continues to receive a $90,000-a-year government salary despite pleading guilty to felony charges, and he could stay on the public payroll through much of next week because that's the deadline for him to resign under a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Gov. Susana Martinez objected Wednesday that Block hasn't stepped down a week after he pleaded guilty to felony charges, including the fraudulent use a state-issued credit card for gasoline purchases.
Block had 10 days to resign under his plea agreement. The attorney general's office says that deadline is Oct. 13 because under state law the 10 days doesn't count weekends and holidays.
A spokesman for the governor says, "No more taxpayer money should be squandered waiting for Mr. Block to step down."
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. KRWG