A number of employees of New Mexico State University’s facilities department are under investigation on allegations that they used school funds for personal construction projects, the campus newspaper is reporting.
The employees were placed on administrative leave last month, the Round Up reported.
The investigation has been turned over to the NMSU police and the FBI, the paper reported. Employees have been told to keep quiet about the situation.
The Round Up reported that at least three employees are accused, including Richard MacRorie, associate vice president of facilities for Planning, Physical Resources and University Relations; Paul Herrera, director of facilities maintenance for the department’s operations division; and John Salopek, construction supervisor for the department’s roofing and construction division.
MacRorie has been reinstated, the paper reported. It did not elaborate on the current status of the others. A number of university officials declined to comment to the newspaper.
The newspaper reported that the charges revolve around the use of NMSU funds and roofing resources for work on employees’ homes.
This was quite a scoop for the student newspaper and a good piece of reporting at a university that has a history of keeping information quiet. It comes out in the paper’s last edition before the summer, and will be read by families and alumni who are in town this weekend for graduation. Kudos to the Round Up.