LAS CRUCES - A New Mexico certified public accountant arrested Monday is suspected of defrauding two clients of more than $1 million entrusted to him, court records show.

Thomas Laws, 61, of Grant County, failed to invest the money delegated to him by two clients, who were married, court records detail.

Laws first accepted money from the unnamed married couple clients in 2014, handling investments and tax payments, court records show. But instead of using the clients' money as directed, he suspected of using it to pay credit card debts, obligations to other clients and investors, and other personal and business expenditures.

He also suspected of illegally transferring money in other clients' names, records show.

Laws is charged with wire fraud; transportation, transmission, and transfer of stolen money; fraud; and aggravated identity theft.

Nathan J. Fish can be reached at 575-541-5445, nathan.fish@gannett.com or @photojfish on Twitter.