DA Launches Criminal Investigation of N.M. Highlands

New Mexico Highlands University is now under criminal investigation “regarding allegations of fraud and forgery,” a state district attorney’s office announced Wednesday 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,” Fourth Judicial District Attorney Thomas A. Clayton said in the release. Clayton said his office is coordinating with the state Department of Justice and attorney general, though the department didn’t respond to Inside Higher Ed’s requests for confirmation of its involvement.

The release said the investigation “will be conducted concurrently” with the state auditor’s previously announced special audit.

Public controversy surrounding the university has grown since early May, when the Board of Regents put then-president Neil Woolf on leave, without explanation. The district attorney said this, plus the university placing members of Woolf’s staff on leave, prompted an inquiry from the state auditor, to which the university replied May 27.

The district attorney only listed two allegations that the university made: “Fraudulent Creation and Forgery of the Men’s Head Basketball Coach Employment Contract (April 22, 2026), and Falsified Federal Immigration Form I-20.” It’s unclear whether the investigation will explore more than this; the release said the district attorney will “follow the facts wherever they lead.”

The university provided Inside Higher Ed its May 27 list of allegations, and Woolf isn’t accused under either of those two sections.

Woolf sued the university May 28, the day after its message to the state auditor, alleging that it was moving to terminate him because he refused Board of Regents Chair Frank Sanchez’s alleged order to steer $600,000 in state funds for a track facility to a contractor friend. The university’s general counsel provided a statement, signed by the “Board of Regents,” denying this. These allegations weren’t mentioned by the district attorney.

The university terminated Woolf early last month. Since May 1, the university has terminated or placed on leave at least nine administrators and other employees. Some former employees have accused the board of malfeasance.

The state spotlight on the university extends further. Early last month, state Higher Education Secretary Stephanie Rodriguez told the university it must submit a corrective action plan for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.