Former University of New Mexico athletic director Paul Krebs has been charged with five felonies, including fraud and money laundering stemming from his time serving in that position.
According to the criminal complaint obtained by Albuquerque TV station KRQE, Krebs leveraged his position as athletic director to fund a lavish golf trip to Scotland for himself, members of his family, a coach and other private citizens. In doing so, he misused public funds, circumvented University policy, and attempted to cover up his misdeeds through false statements, donations intended to “pay back” the university, and tampering with evidence and records.
The state attorney general’s office announced the charges on Wednesday. The office also released a report, obtained by the Albuquerque Journal detailing the University’s “financial risk areas,” which focused on how Krebs was able to exploit the system. The report’s claims that “it is not possible to develop criminal intent or pinpoint with certainty” other individuals that may have been caught up in criminal activity due to the University’s loose grip on its finances.
“What is clear is that the culture and environment at the management and oversight level of UNM during this time created a situation ripe for public employees to violate state laws and abuse public resources, without any ability to be tracked, identified, or ultimately held responsible,” the report said.
Attorney general Hector Balderas said that Krebs remains the only target of the criminal complaint for the time being.
In addition to the charges of fraud and money laundering, Krebs faces counts of evidence tampering, criminal solicitation and producing false public vouchers — which could expose him to penalties of up to 15 years in prison, according to the Sante Fe New Mexican.
Krebs resigned from his position in 2017.
