Aguilar clerk charged with five felonies in water fund corruption case

Tyra Marie Avila, who ran Aguilar’s town office for 17 years, is now facing five felony charges after investigators said more than $26,000 in public money tied to the town’s water project was misused. The charges announced by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation include theft, cybercrime, embezzlement of public property, forgery and fraud by check.

Avila, 47, served as Aguilar’s town administrator, clerk and treasurer before resigning in September 2024. She later turned herself in, posted a $15,000 bond and became the central figure in a case that now reaches into one of the most sensitive parts of life in this Las Animas County town, its water supply.

The investigation was carried out by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and the Las Animas County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators said the money was intended for the town’s water project, a long-running effort linked to an augmentation pond meant to help Aguilar comply with a 2014 water decree and secure long-term water access.

Officials have said evidence was not strong enough to file charges against nine other people who were examined in the case. That decision may narrow the criminal case, but it does not erase the damage to public confidence. In a town of fewer than 500 residents, where residents rely on the same small group of officials to manage finances, utilities and records, the question now is whether the problem was one person’s conduct or a broader failure of oversight.

The town later tightened controls by creating a separate water-project account that could be accessed only by the current mayor and a USDA official so the work could continue. That change puts the spotlight on what comes next: the project account itself, council approvals, check records, contractor payments, and the bookkeeping behind every dollar tied to the pond and the town’s water obligations.

The case also overlaps with a separate employment dispute. In June 2025, Aguilar approved a $20,000 settlement with Avila after she filed a discrimination complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Division on Sept. 23, 2024. By the time Aguilar held its municipal election on April 7, 2026, the town was already navigating a broader financial and water crisis that has left the augmentation pond and the town ledger under close scrutiny.

Residents are likely to watch future court filings and town meetings for any new details about the water account, public records, and whether further internal controls are added as Aguilar tries to move past one of the most serious corruption cases in recent local memory.