DEMING – Joseph Shepard, former president of Western New Mexico University, has filed a lawsuit against the university and several state officials, claiming they conspired to ruin his reputation after he questioned a $1 million budget appropriation tied to a charter school on campus.
According to a copywritten story by the Albuquerque Journal, “The complaint alleges a wide-ranging conspiracy to cover up corruption and to punish Shepard through media disclosures, ethics investigations and the termination of his faculty position following his departure as president.”
Shepard is seeking damages under New Mexico’s Whistleblower Act and RICO statute, naming WNMU, several lawmakers, and State Auditor Joseph Maestas as defendants. He alleges that the appropriation lacked transparency and was funneled to Aldo Leopold Charter School, where one lawmaker had prior ties.
The lawsuit claims Shepard became the target of a smear campaign, including leaked spending records and ethics probes. It also references a $1.9 million severance agreement later voided by the university’s new board.
State officials have largely declined to comment, citing pending litigation. A recent audit found questionable spending but no fraud.
Shepard’s attorney says the case is about misuse of public power to silence a whistleblower.