Tuesday, April 29, 2025
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Tuesday, April 29, 2025

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Susan Crawford Gave Work Release Jail to Illegal Immigrant 4th Offense Drunk Driver

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Dane County Judge Susan Crawford sentenced a fourth-offense drunk driver who was an illegal immigrant to work-release jail, just months after giving him a break on a separate domestic-violence case, Wisconsin Right Now has documented.

The total sentence that Crawford gave Armando Cadena-Valencia on Feb. 20, 2019? Only four months in the Huber Jail as a condition of 2 years probation. She withheld any other sentence.

She could have given him up to 6 years in prison for the class H felony. The short sentence came even though his 3rd offense OWI occurred just eight months before the 4th. Crawford agreed to dismiss three other charges, including resisting an officer because police say Cadena-Valencia provided a false name.

Susan crawford

A year before, the same illegal immigrant also came before Crawford, this time on a domestic-violence related battery charge. That time, she gave Cadena-Valencia probation, with no jail time at all. His probation was eventually revoked, and she then ordered him to serve eight months in work-release jail. Court Commissioner Scott McAndrew gave him a $500 signature bond in that case. The revoked sentence was “deemed served.”

Armando cadena valencia
Armando cadena valencia

Court Commissioner Jason Hanson gave Cadena Valencia bail of just $500 cash for the 4th offense OWI. His bail was amended to $100 by Judge Nicholas McNamara, court records show. Crawford then inherited the case and made no move to increase his bail. The defendant required an interpreter in court. Court records indicate he remained in custody, however.

“The Court has found that the defendant’s household income is no more than 150% of the federal nonfarm poverty guideline,” a Crawford order notation says. “Therefore it is Ordered that an Ignition Interlock Device (IID) shall be installed and maintained for 50% of the normal costs.”

We came upon the Cadena-Valencia cases through an open records request for all of Crawford’s cases as a judge. We then confirmed Cadena Valencia’s immigration status through an open records request. ICE informed the Dane County Sheriff’s Department that the agency was going to pick up Cadena Valencia at the “completion of his sentence” and take him to Dodge County’s detention center, which is where ICE holds illegal immigrants in Wisconsin. We also asked for any ICE holds requested or rejected, but Dane County did not produce any.

Susan crawford

We’ve found a pattern of Crawford giving short jail sentences to repeat drunk drivers. Even 6th offense drunk drivers have escaped prison time from Crawford.

Crawford, a liberal, is running for a seat on the state Supreme Court against former Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel, who is a former DA and is a Waukesha County Judge. He has been endorsed by dozens of top law enforcement officials in the race. She has received the endorsement of the Dane County Sheriff, who has refused to honor ICE holds even for violent offenders. We’ve also documented her short sentences for child molesters, a shooter, the Langdon Street attacker of a UW-Madison student, and more.

According to the criminal complaint in the fourth offense OWI, a City of Madison police officer pulled over Cadena-Valencia on Aug. 13, 2018, on East Olin Avenue in Madison. Cadena-Valencia stated that he had three beers and was coming from work and gave the name Enrique Serrano. He did not have a wallet or identification.

Another officer arrived and noticed a bank card in the name of Armando Cadena-Valencia in the car. Cadena-Valencia said it wasn’t his. The officer ran the information and saw that the suspect had a Wisconsin Department of Transportation photo ID with the defendant’s photograph. His eyes were very glassy and bloodshot.

A breathalyzer registered .20. He was driving with a revoked license. His lengthy driving history of violations is attached to the complaint.

See the criminal complaint here:

2018CF001673COMP3818675

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Trump Expands Gulf of America Oil & Natural Gas Production

Reversing Biden administration policies that halted offshore leasing, prompting lawsuits and restricting oil and natural gas development, the Trump administration is expanding offshore capabilities.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum directed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to hold the administration’s first offshore lease sales in the Gulf of America, with the first proposed notice of sale slated for June.

“By continuing to expand offshore capabilities, the United States ensures affordable energy for consumers, strengthens domestic industry and reinforces its role as an energy superpower,” the Interior Department says. “Opening the Outer Continental Shelf is central to this strategy as it unleashes domestic energy potential that had been blocked under the previous administration,” and is expected to generate tens of thousands of high-paying jobs throughout the industry.

The BOEM also released a new analysis stating that a significant increase of estimated oil and natural gas reserves exists in the Gulf of America Outer Continental Shelf. BOEM’s updated assessment evaluated more than 140 oil and natural gas fields, identifying 18 new discoveries, and analyzed more than 37,000 reservoirs across 1,336 fields in the Gulf.

It says there’s an “additional 1.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent since 2021, bringing the total reserve estimate to 7.04 billion barrels of oil equivalent. This includes 5.77 billion barrels of oil and 7.15 trillion cubic feet of natural gas – a 22.6% increase in remaining recoverable reserves.”

“This new data confirms what we’ve known all along – America is sitting on a treasure trove of energy, and under President Trump’s leadership, we’re unlocking it,” Burgum said. “The Gulf of America is a powerhouse, and by streamlining permitting and expanding access, we’re not just powering our economy – we’re strengthening our national security and putting thousands of Americans back to work.”

The comprehensive review added 4.39 billion barrels of oil equivalent in original reserves, BOEM found. “After subtracting production of 3.09 billion barrels of oil equivalent since 2020–2021, the net increase reflects continued opportunity and momentum in offshore development,” it says.

“The Gulf of America is delivering 14% of the nation’s oil,” BOEM Gulf of America Regional Director Dr. James Kendall said. “These updated estimates reaffirm the Gulf’s vital role in ensuring a reliable, affordable domestic energy supply.”

The BOEM oversees nearly 3.2 billion acres of the Outer Continental Shelf, with roughly 160 million acres located in the Gulf.

“Energy dominance is a pillar of U.S. economic strength and global leadership,” the Interior Department argues. “By expanding offshore capabilities, the United States ensures affordable energy for consumers, creates high-paying jobs, and reduces dependence on foreign adversaries. … Expanded leasing is projected to create tens of thousands of jobs across exploration, production, logistics and supply chains — revitalizing coastal economies and fueling American innovation.”

Shell Offshore Inc., a subsidiary of Shell plc, also announced it is beginning production at Dover, a second subsea tieback connecting new wells to existing infrastructure of its Appomattox production hub in the Gulf of America. Dover’s estimated peak production is 20,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day, it says.

Shell is the leading deep-water operator in the Gulf of America; Dover was discovered under the first Trump administration in 2018.

It’s located in Mississippi Canyon, roughly 170 miles offshore southeast of New Orleans.

Shell estimates that Dover will “contain 44.5 million barrels of oil equivalent recoverable resources, adding stable, secure energy resources.”

Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas activities have generated billions of dollars in revenue from lease sales, rental fees and royalties to the federal government and states, helping to fund infrastructure, education and public services and wildlife conservation. They also help strengthen U.S. energy independence, national security and global stability, by reducing reliance on foreign producers, the Trump administration argues.

Offshore production in the Gulf of America accounts for the third greatest volume in the country, of nearly 1.8 million barrels of oil per day, according to Energy Information Agency data from January. The greatest volume is produced in the Permian Basin in west Texas, which leads the U.S. in oil and natural gas production, The Center Square reported.

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