District attorney launches criminal investigation into Highlands
—Natalie Robbins, Albuquerque Journal
The 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and the state attorney general have launched a criminal investigation into allegations of fraud and forgery at New Mexico Highlands University, officials announced last week.
The turmoil at the Las Vegas university began May 1, when NMHU officials placed President Neil Woolf and several high-level administrators on leave and terminated multiple other faculty members, seemingly without explanation.
The Office of the State Auditor announced on May 12 it had launched an investigation into the university after the multiple terminations, citing “substantial concerns” about leadership and finances.
In a lengthy response to the state auditor dated May 27, Highlands administration accused Woolf of financial mismanagement, nepotism, retaliation, procurement code violations and a pattern of religious preferential treatment with employees who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Regents allege Woolf, who is a member of the Latter-day Saints church, created new positions for Latter-day Saints candidates and showed favoritism toward employees who were members of the church. The letter alleges terminated men’s basketball coach Zach Settembre and Vice President of Advancement Paul Grindstaff were selected via inappropriate hiring methods because of their Latter-day Saints faith.
The district attorney’s criminal investigation involves allegations of fraud and forgery of Settembre’s new contract — which had been renewed April 22, days before he was placed on leave — and a falsified immigration form, both included in the letter to the state auditor.
“This office takes criminal allegations very seriously, particularly when it involves public institutions like New Mexico Highlands University,” District Attorney Thomas Clayton said in a news release. “When allegations involve potential fraud, forged documents and the integrity of a public university, the public deserves clear answers backed by evidence.”
Woolf, along with Settembre and Provost Dann Brown, were officially terminated June 2.
The letter from NMHU administration alleges Athletic Director Scott Noble — whose signature was required on Settembre’s new contract — was against the extension because of NCAA violations “and other personnel issues.” Regents allege Grindstaff forged Noble’s signature on the contract electronically, which would mean Settembre is not entitled to his $22,500 severance payment.
Grindstaff was terminated in May, along with Vice Presidents Johnny Montoya and David Lepre.
Settembre told the Journal last month that the allegations of forgery were false, as far as he knew.
“It was a Docusign agreement,” Settembre said, referring to a software that allows users to sign documents electronically. “No one could forge a signature on a Docusign. It goes to someone’s email. … That’s impossible to do.”
Settembre said he committed no NCAA violations, but was asked by Woolf to sit out one game because of “a handful of technical fouls.”
“We were all terminated without cause,” Settembre said. “They’ve removed an extremely popular president, a president that worked extremely hard.”
The allegations of a falsified immigration form come from the letter, which claims the university submitted a forged document on behalf of a Mexican student who had been recruited for the NMHU men’s basketball team after graduating from a New Mexico high school.
Regents allege the university found the forged signatures of Financial Aid Director Lara Barela and Associate Athletic Director Jim Deisler on the document, a Form I-20, one of the records required for a student visa. The form was submitted to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, then subsequently cancelled once the alleged falsification was discovered.
Woolf fired back against NMHU officials with a lawsuit, claiming that his firing was in retaliation for declining to follow an order from Board of Regents Chair Frank Sanchez to award a contract to a local firm operated by a friend of Sanchez and his brother in law.
The Board of Regents, in a statement, said the allegations were “without merit.”
Nicholas Hart, an attorney for Woolf, said in an email to the Journal that the letter to the auditor from Highlands administration containing the alleged criminal violations was retaliatory and “full of inaccuracies and misrepresentations.”
“To be absolutely clear, the allegations against Dr. Woolf are false,” Hart said. “Dr. Woolf will be amending his complaint to include this as a retaliatory attack, and he will also add a religious discrimination claim for the letter’s disgusting attack on his faith.”
Woolf was appointed president of NMHU in 2024 after a national search. He most recently served as executive vice president at Southern Oregon University.
Kimberly Blea, who most recently served as vice president of student affairs at NMHU, has been serving as interim president.
New Mexico AG says U.S. Department of Justice refusing to turn over unredacted Epstein files
—Dan Boyd, Albuquerque Journal
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has accused a federal agency of hindering the state’s revived criminal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s past ties to the state by refusing to turn over unredacted files.
In a recent letter to acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and one of his top deputies, Torrez said requests for full access to U.S. Department of Justice files have been effectively ignored.
“Every day that the USDOJ withholds these records, the foundation upon which a New Mexico prosecution could be built erodes,” said Torrez, who added that contacting witnesses and authenticating evidence has become more difficult with the passage of time.
He also said additional delays could pose legal hurdles, including a possible expiration of the statute of limitations to file criminal charges.
Torrez announced in February that his office was reopening a criminal investigation into Epstein’s former Zorro Ranch outside Santa Fe. The 7,500-acre ranch was then searched by investigators in March, though search results have not been publicly disclosed.
New Mexico state officials had previously investigated Epstein’s actions, though no criminal charges were filed in the state. Former Attorney General Hector Balderas said federal prosecutors asked the state in 2019 to halt its investigation, promising to share evidence that was ultimately never provided.
Torrez cited that history in his letter, while also saying multiple requests for investigative materials and records have gone unfulfilled over the last five months. That includes a June request for an in-person meeting while Torrez was in Washington, D.C.
The state’s top prosecutor said his office is willing to abide by confidentiality provisions imposed by the U.S. Department of Justice, but said redacted records that have been publicly released shield key details that prosecutors need to build a case. The U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately respond Thursday to questions about the state’s request.
“Every avenue of investigation that begins with a redacted name, a blacked-out face, or an obscured date is an avenue that ends before it begins,” Torrez said.
Epstein purchased the Zorro Ranch from the family of former Gov. Bruce King in 1993. The property is located near Stanley and features a 33,339-square-foot mansion, pool, hot tub and other structures. It was sold for an undisclosed price in 2023 to the family of Texas real estate mogul Don Huffines, who has said he plans to convert it into a Christian retreat center.
Court documents and civil cases have accused Epstein of sexually assaulting teenage girls and women at the ranch, which was one of several properties owned by Epstein. The financier and convicted sex offender also reportedly had homes in New York, Florida, Paris and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
One plaintiff described the property in 2019 as being “like a park” where teenage girls were encouraged to ride horses and ATVs, and to use the pool and hot tub.
Epstein died in August 2019 in a New York City jail while he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in New York and Florida. Medical investigators determined at the time that he died by suicide.
However, public interest in the Epstein files has continued to simmer amid the federal government’s piecemeal approach to releasing records and the testimony of victims.
Along with the revived criminal probe, New Mexico lawmakers established a truth-finding commission during this year’s legislative session that has been tasked with digging into oversight gaps that might have enabled Epstein’s activities in the state.
While the Truth Commission has issued subpoenas to various state and federal agencies seeking records, Rep. Andrea Romero, D-Santa Fe, the panel’s chairwoman, said Thursday that two federal agencies have indicated they do not plan to comply.
Those two agencies are the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for New Mexico and the Southern District of New York, Romero said.
Wally Funk, aviation pioneer who was the oldest woman to travel into space, dies at 87
—Associated Press
Wally Funk, an aviation pioneer who was the oldest woman to launch into space, has died. Funk was from New Mexico. She was born in Las Vegas in 1939, and grew up in Taos.
Funk was one of 13 female pilots who went through the same tests as NASA’s all-male astronaut corps in the early 1960s but never made it into space. In 2021, she got her chance aboard Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket. At the time, the 82-year-old was the oldest person to go into space.
Funk died at an assisted living facility in Grapevine, Texas. She was 87.
NMDOH confirms despite 3 cases, there is not a cyclosporiasis outbreak in NM — Daniel Montaño
New Mexico health officials confirmed today there are three active cases of cyclosporiasis in the state, but urged residents not to panic.
Sara Shrum Davis, an epidemiologist with NMDOH, said New Mexico regularly sees about eight cases of the disease per year. She says although active outbreaks have hit many states, New Mexico is not one of them.
Cyclosporiasis is a disease that is caused by the microscopic parasite cyclospora. Symptoms include extreme gastrointestinal distress, including diarrhea that can cause dangerous levels of dehydration.
Shrum Davis said the disease is most commonly found on the skins of fruits and vegetables and in infected water. The best way to avoid it is by thoroughly washing your hands and all fruits and vegetables.
New Mexico Environment Department to hold hearing for Project Jupiter data center air quality permit —Joshua Bowling, Source New Mexico
The New Mexico Environment Department will hold a public hearing on the pending air quality permit application for Project Jupiter, the controversial Oracle and OpenAI data center under construction in Doña Ana County, following high public interest and complaints that residents’ names were used on supportive public comments without their consent.
Environment Department Secretary James Kenney signed a notice ordering a public hearing on the matter, the department confirmed to Source NM Tuesday. Department spokesperson Drew Goretzka said a date and venue have not yet been selected, but noted that the hearing would be held near the permit’s site.
The pending air quality permit application is for one of Project Jupiter’s developers to build a microgrid — an energy source that does not tie into an existing electrical grid — using fuel cells. Developer Yucca Growth Infrastructure in April withdrew its initial air quality permit applications for natural gas plants in favor of the fuel cell proposal.
Yucca Growth Infrastructure did not respond to Source NM’s request for comment.
The public comment period for the new air quality permit application ended Monday. Source NM previously revealed that three New Mexico residents said their names appeared on letters that urged state environment officials to issue the air quality permits after they were approached by canvassers for the project.
Since then, several elected officials have similarly said their names were misused.
Rep. Cristina Parajón (D-Albuquerque) on Tuesday said that her district legislative aide received emails over the Independence Day weekend thanking them for submitting public comments even though neither of them had.
Parajón told Source NM that the comments, which she said NMED took down after she alerted the department to the issue, aligned with the other similarly phrased letters that urged environmental officials to approve the air quality permit.
Parajón said she has never spoken with project canvassers and doesn’t know who submitted the comment bearing her name.
“Most disturbing of all is that they used the dot gov email, the official legislative email address,” she said. “That is impersonation of a government official.”
Parajón said she has contacted the New Mexico Department of Justice and asked for the attorney general to open an investigation into the matter.
The NMDOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Darien Fernandez, a member of the the Taos Town Council, similarly told Source NM he has not seen or spoken with canvassers. However, he woke up on a recent morning to discover an email in his personal inbox thanking him for submitting a public comment on the matter.
“When I saw my name listed in support, first I was like, ‘WTF?’” he said.
Fernandez, who also works as the executive director of the Taos Land Trust, said he was worried the letter would damage his reputation in the conservation circles he works in.
When people submit public comments, the system sends them an email confirmation that their comments have been received.
The automated email includes contact information that the commenter included, such as address, email address and phone number. While the email was Fernandez’s personal email address, he said the listed phone number, which has a Washington, D.C., area code, was not his.
On Friday, Albuquerque City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn also announced that her name had been used to voice support for the air quality permit without her permission.
“I am outraged that someone would impersonate me in a public process — especially to advocate for a project that I believe is harmful to our environment, our communities and animals,” she wrote in a statement. “Using another person’s name without their knowledge or consent undermines public trust and the integrity of the public comment process. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not submit comments in support of Project Jupiter, and I do not support Project Jupiter.”
Albuquerque senior centers raise meal prices —Gillian Barkhurst, Albuquerque Journal
The city of Albuquerque raised breakfast prices at senior centers this week, drawing criticism from elders.
Menus officially changed Monday, with prices for some items jumping from $1.50 to a high of $5.
While the change may seem negligible to working adults, seniors on fixed incomes say they rely on the centers, which serve meals at a reduced price for those 50 and older, as the cost of living skyrockets around them.
“The pancake used to be a quarter, and I’ve still seen people here counting change at the counter,” said Glenn Karns, who ate breakfast at Los Volcanes Senior Center on Tuesday.
Karns fears that with the price increases, some low-income seniors will skip meals and go hungry.
Meanwhile, city officials justified the change as a necessary step to keep up with inflation and rising food prices.
“The current cost to prepare a breakfast meal is approximately $6.44, while members pay between $3 and $4,” said Senior Affairs spokesperson Beth Delaune in a statement Tuesday.
“(The department) continues to subsidize the program because we believe it provides an affordable opportunity for older adults to gather, socialize and stay connected to their community.”
Just like restaurants have struggled with rising food prices nationwide, so has Albuquerque’s public food program. In the past five years, prices for breakfast items like orange juice, hash browns and eggs have increased between 55% and 68%, Delaune said.
However, despite changes to breakfast, Albuquerque senior centers will continue to serve lunch free of charge for those 60 and older.
The change comes after a tight budgeting season at City Hall, with cuts across departments. Many seniors, however, feel their nutrition is the wrong place to pinch pennies.
“When we need them most, they stop helping,” said Julio Campos, a regular attendee, while passing by to refill a cup of coffee.
On the second day of the price hike, dozens lined up for servings of huevos rancheros, breakfast burritos and hot coffee. Though the line to order was long, the room wasn’t quite as packed as usual, some seniors said.
Most blamed the price change.
“It’s more than just food,” said Paula Narvaiz as she poured black coffee into a paper cup.
For some seniors, these cheap meals are a lifeline, not just for nutrition but for their spirits.
“It’s about giving people something to look forward to and get up in the morning,” she said. “Without that, they’re just wasting away at home. That’s the hardest part.”
Beyond pricing, seniors were concerned about more barebones menus that eliminated cheap options like oatmeal and à la carte items. This decision not only impacts low-income seniors but those with dietary restrictions as well, said attendee Sarah Rahman.
“I have gone all day without eating before,” said Rahman, who cannot eat pork and must sometimes skip meals she usually receives at the center.
Simplifying the menu was also a fiscal decision, Delaune said, which is expected to reduce waste and save money.
Over breakfast, while sipping coffee and spearing potato wedges with forks, many seniors hoped the city would reconsider the changes or, at the least, bring back cheaper menu items like oatmeal to bridge the gap.
“Boy, they keep trying to compare this to a restaurant when this is all taxpayer-funded,” Karns said. “It’s not a business.”
Martin Heinrich rescinds Platner endorsement amid sexual assault allegations - Dan Boyd - Albuquerque Journal, KUNM News
U.S. Senator from New Mexico Martin Heinrich rescinded his endorsement of Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner. The Albuquerque Journal reports Heinrich joins a growing number of other Democrats in distancing themselves from the candidate.
In a social media post late Monday, Heinrich said he could no longer support Platner and called for him to step aside for another Democrat. It follows reported allegations that Platner sexually assaulted a woman he was dating.
Heinrich initially endorsed Platner in March and was one of the first sitting Senate Democrats to endorse the campaign. A committee affiliated with Heinrich also donated $5,000 to Platner’s campaign.
The Maine Senate race is one of the most watched among Democrats for the opportunity to flip a seat.
Platner denies the allegations against him, but late Wednesday Platner announced that he will step aside because he says a run is now untenable.
