{"id":48610,"date":"2026-02-13T13:44:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T20:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/?p=48610"},"modified":"2026-02-13T13:44:01","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T20:44:01","slug":"nm-wildfire-claims-office-director-on-administrative-leave-following-six-figure-payout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/nm-wildfire-claims-office-director-on-administrative-leave-following-six-figure-payout\/","title":{"rendered":"NM wildfire claims office director on \u2018administrative leave\u2019 following six-figure payout"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

Announcement follows revelations Jay Mitchell and wife received $500K far from Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon perimeter<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

by Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story<\/a> was originally published at Source New Mexico<\/a>, a NMPBS partner.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Jay Mitchell, director of the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire Claims Office, is on administrative leave, according to an email Source New Mexico obtained Feb. 12, 2026. (Courtesy claims office)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Jay Mitchell, director of a multi-billion-dollar federal claims office for northern New Mexico wildfire victims, has been placed on \u201cadministrative leave\u201d following revelations of a six-figure payout he received for smoke damage at his Angel Fire home, according to an email Source New Mexico obtained Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mitchell and his wife Lisa received payments totaling more than $500,000 for smoke damage and business losses from the 2022 Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fire through a $5.45 billion fund administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to documents obtained by Source New Mexico and New Mexico PBS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Source first reported on those payments<\/a> two weeks ago, calls have increased for Mitchell\u2019s resignation, including from members of New Mexico\u2019s congressional delegation and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham<\/a>. A group of several dozen protesters gathered outside the Las Vegas branch of the claims office earlier this week, also calling on him to step down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement Thursday, U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n, along with U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fern\u00e1ndez, called the development a \u201cstep in the right direction to rebuild trust and provide relief for impacted families.\u201d The New Mexico Democrats were the architects of the FEMA compensation program bill in Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement notes \u201cstill outstanding questions\u201d regarding the claims office and its operations and says the delegation \u201cwill continue pressing for accountability and stable, trusted leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a separate statement, Leger Fern\u00e1ndez, who represents the 3rd Congressional District in which the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon occurred, said the delegations needs \u201caccurate and timely information\u201d about how many claims have been made, how much funding remains available and the timeline for paying outstanding claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd of course, we need the office to comply with their legal duty to report to Congress so we can share that information with the public,\u201d her statement said.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul Judson, a Washington, D.C.-based FEMA deputy assistant administrator, wrote an email to claims office employees around 9:20 a.m. Thursday informing them that FEMA had placed the office\u2019s program manager and deputy program manager, referring to Mitchell and his deputy Jennifer Carbajal on \u201cadministrative leave.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judson\u2019s email does not provide reasons for or length of the administrative leave, but does note that, \u201cThis step does not reflect a finding of wrongdoing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the email, Juan Ayala, a \u201csenior FEMA official,\u201d is on-site effective immediately to oversee operations. According to Ayala\u2019s LinkedIn profile, he currently works as public affairs director for FEMA\u2019s Region Six headquarters in Dallas. Region Six includes New Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The office\u2019s work of processing claims will continue \u201cuninterrupted,\u201d Judson wrote, and other \u201cstaff roles, responsibilities, and workflows remain unchanged.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source\u2019s Jan. 28 story revealed that Mitchell, who has run the office since April 2024, and his wife received payments last July for their home and her business far from the wildfire perimeter in an area that his neighbors said was largely untouched in the wildfire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, some wildfire victims are still awaiting payment nearly four years after the fire began, including those who lost their homes and whose businesses suffered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carbajal, the office\u2019s deputy director, has held that role since the wildfire began. Source also obtained documents showing she accepted payments last August of about $27,000 in business losses for a company called Maia Consulting, Inc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The documents show Carbajal dissolved the corporation at the end of 2022, shortly before she began work at the claims office. An archived version of Maia Consulting\u2019s website described the company as a veteran-owned small business helping rural businesses embrace digital marketing and other technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A claims office spokesperson, in a statement provided to Source on Thursday afternoon, said that, \u201cat this time, there is no finding of wrongdoing\u201d regarding improper payments at the office, and the office\u2019s work continues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFEMA is fully committed to supporting the citizens of New Mexico impacted by the Hermit\u2019s Peak-Calf Canyon fires. This is yet another mess we inherited from the broken Biden administration and are focused on delivering assistance with integrity and accountability,\u201d the unsigned statement reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFEMA has ZERO tolerance for wrongdoing or misappropriation of funds\u2014every allegation is thoroughly investigated and taken seriously. Our priority and focus remain on supporting eligible claimants and ensuring all claims are handled fairly and transparently. We will not be distracted from our mission to support recovery and uphold the highest standards at all levels of the Claims Office.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judson\u2019s email urges current claims office employees to avoid \u201cspeculation or distraction\u201d and to focus their efforts on paying out claimants. The office has paid out roughly $3.4 billion of the $5.45 billion Congress awarded it, according to the latest figures from the office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe expect all employees to remain focused on serving claimants, to safeguard claimant privacy, and to conduct themselves professionally at all times,\u201d Judson wrote. \u201cInternal personnel matters should not be discussed externally and internal information should not be disseminated externally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judson also promised that FEMA will communicate with employees as \u201cnext steps are finalized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1:25 pm
This story has been updated to include statements from the congressional delegation and the FEMA claims office.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story was originally published at Source New Mexico<\/a>, a NMPBS partner.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Announcement follows revelations Jay Mitchell and wife received $500K far from Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon perimeter by Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico This story was originally published at Source New Mexico, a NMPBS partner. Jay Mitchell, director of a multi-billion-dollar federal claims office for northern New Mexico wildfire victims, has been placed on \u201cadministrative leave\u201d following…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":48613,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10906],"tags":[10907],"class_list":["post-48610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-partner-stories","tag-partner-stories"],"yoast_head":"\nNM wildfire claims office director on \u2018administrative leave\u2019 following six-figure payout - New Mexico In Focus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/nm-wildfire-claims-office-director-on-administrative-leave-following-six-figure-payout\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NM wildfire claims office director on \u2018administrative leave\u2019 following six-figure payout - New Mexico In Focus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Announcement follows revelations Jay Mitchell and wife received $500K far from Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon perimeter by Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico This story was originally published at Source New Mexico, a NMPBS partner. 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