Former University of New Mexico athletic director Paul Krebs has been indicted by a grand jury on seven felony counts for funneling school resources to a personal golf trip to Scotland.
Krebs was charged in February through a criminal complaint with several felonies related to the 2015 trip. A grand jury indictment was filed in 2nd Judicial District Court in Albuquerque, N.M., earlier this week. Attorney General Hector Balderas said that when Krebs was vice president of UNM athletics, he used his job title “to pursue his own private interest by planning and going on a Scotland golf trip.”
Court documents say the trip cost the school about $64,000 of public money, with another $25,000 to cover costs for private donors.
Balderas claims Krebs knew it was against university rules, with documents claiming Krebs tried to hide the trip by making an anonymous donation to the university for $25,000 in 2017. Balderas says he has obtained an email about the trip, with Krebs writing, “I thought no one would find out. Wrong move.”
The newly filed indictment charges Krebs with embezzlement over $20,000 for using $24,500 of UNM money to pay for three individuals not affiliated with UNM or the UNM Association to go on the golf trip to Scotland. He is charged with lesser embezzlement counts for using $13,625 in UNM money to pay for a down payment for the trip and taking $9,379 from UNM to pay for himself to go on the trip. The indictment also charges Krebs with unlawful interest in a public contract, tampering with evidence, criminal solicitation and tax fraud.
Paul Kennedy, Krebs’ attorney, told the Albuquerque Journal that his client received a target letter informing them the case was being presented to a grand jury.
“I have every confidence that Paul will be vindicated by a jury of his peers, and we look forward to our day in court,” Kennedy said.
Krebs resigned when the scandal became public in 2017 during Balderas’ search into accusations the athletic department was misappropriating funds.