An Albuquerque attorney who investigators allege was at the center of a sweeping corruption scandal that allowed people arrested for driving while intoxicated to evade conviction has pleaded guilty to federal charges.

Albuquerque attorney Thomas Clear III says he led a criminal racketeering enterprise that paid off generations of law enforcement officers to get his clients’ DWI cases

Attorney Thomas Clear III admitted to running a kickback scheme with Albuquerque DWI officers since "at least the late 1990s."

The attorney at the center of a DWI scheme in Albuquerque and a third police officer involved in the case have agreed to plead guilty.