New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez is taking outgoing Western New Mexico University President Joseph Shepard and all five members of the Board of Regents to court over a $1.9 million buyout payment they awarded to Shepard, who state investigators say has routinely engaged in “wasteful” and “improper” spending of taxpayer dollars.
Previously, Assistant Attorney General Rose Bryan had filed an emergency motion asking a judge to temporarily block the severance payment, which he said violated the state’s Anti-Donation Clause, the New Mexico Constitution and the state Open Meetings Act, until it could be argued in court. On Wednesday, Jan. 8, however, Torrez’s office learned that Shepard already received the money on Jan. 2. He then directed his deputies to file a civil suit and ask a judge to prohibit Shepard from spending the $1.9 million.
“The level of greed, self-dealing and arrogance that has been exhibited throughout this process over the last year and a half has only been amplified by the actions and mismanagement of the regents of Western New Mexico and by the actions of Dr. Shepard.”New Mexico Attorney General Raúl TorrezAt this point, Torrez said, it’s not clear who at the university initiated the transfer of funds to Shepard. But the new lawsuit seeks to recover the money, void Shepard’s severance agreement and nullify his new employment contract as a tenured business professor with an annual salary of $200,000…