ALBUQUERQUE -- New Mexico's Democratic Attorney General Gary King promised yesterday not to benefit from contributions he has received from perpetrators of a corruption scandal involving state Democrats.

King yesterday vowed to donate all contributions he had received from former state Sen. Manny Aragon and other associates in the scheme, including engineer Raul Parra. Aragon and Parra were indicted last week on federal counts of money laundering and mail fraud.

The attorney general received $500 from Aragon, $500 from Parra and $500 from former Republican mayor of Albuquerque Ken Schultz for his 2004 congressional race, according to the AP. He received a further $250 from Schultz for last year's attorney general race.

Schultz has already pleaded guilty to mail fraud and conspiracy in the case, which allegedly involved skimming off around 5 percent of the $83 million in public funds meant for a new courthouse in Albuquerque.

Aragon is accused of receiving $700,000 in the scam and Parra $773,000, while Schultz has confessed to getting $50,000. The remainder went to other participants including an architect, a consultant and a court administrator, all of whom have confessed.

According to a recent editorial in the Albuquerque Tribune, the scheme "involved tapping into state funds and creating inflated invoices, the payments for which produced cash for the schemers."

Aragon, an Albuquerque Democrat, is a former Senate president pro tem. During the period he was collecting illegal payments (1999-2006) he contributed $15,784 to state candidates, the AP noted. Democratic state Senator Phil Griego of San Jose topped the list with $6,600.

Gov. Bill Richardson, currently enmeshed in a presidential run, has said he will return the $35,000 his campaigns have received from Parra and two others in the scam.

Lt. Gov. Diane Dernish also said yesterday she would donate the $1,000 contributed by Aragon and Parra.