New Mexico Highlands University is facing a criminal investigation by a state district attorney’s office after allegations of fraud and forgery connected to university hiring and immigration documentation. The Fourth Judicial District Attorney said the investigation will focus on evidence involving a men’s basketball coach employment contract and falsified federal immigration form I-20. The probe is being conducted alongside a special audit previously announced by the state auditor, and the district attorney said the office is coordinating with the state Department of Justice and the attorney general. The university’s leadership has been under intense scrutiny since the Board of Regents placed then-president Neil Woolf on leave in May. In the background, Woolf sued the university shortly after being placed on leave, alleging the Board of Regents chair ordered $600,000 in state funds for a track facility to be steered to a contractor friend. The university and its general counsel denied the allegation, though the district attorney’s release listed only the contract and I-20 issues. For higher education compliance leadership, the immediate risk is reputational and operational: institutions must prepare for document retention questions, contract governance review, and potential enforcement actions that can affect enrollment and international student compliance workflows.