After New Mexico attorney general Hector Balderas announced that his office would pursue felony charges against former University of New Mexico athletic director Paul Krebs earlier this month, a judge has raised concerns over the AG’s methods.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that at what was supposed to be an arraignment on Monday, Judge Stan Whitaker questioned the AG office’s decision to initiate its case against Krebs using a criminal complaint, as opposed to a criminal information or indictment. Essentially, Whitaker said that the office used an improper charging document to kick off Krebs’ case.
“In the 12-½ years I’ve been here, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this,” Whitaker said.
The dustup is expected to blow over, however, as the Judge and the attorney general’s office are essentially arguing over process rather than substance. The attorney general’s office claims that their criminal complaint goes above and beyond what is typically included in an information or indictment, but the judge has nonetheless asked prosecutors to file an information so that the arraignment can proceed by Friday.
Krebs is accused of five felonies, including fraud and money laundering, in connection to a 2015 golf trip to Scotland. Krebs is alleged to have leveraged his position within the Lobo athletic department to misuse public monies, circumvent University policy, and attempt to cover it all up.
Krebs resigned as New Mexico AD in 2017.
