{"id":47337,"date":"2025-06-30T16:50:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T23:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/?p=47337"},"modified":"2025-06-30T16:50:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T23:50:13","slug":"joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\/","title":{"rendered":"Joseph Shepard sued by the New Mexico State Ethics Commission"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

The new civil action claims that the former WNMU president misappropriated at least $177,000 meant for ADA compliance and used it on a patio to host his daughter\u2019s wedding reception<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This story<\/a> was originally published at Searchlight New Mexico<\/a>, a NMPBS partner.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Brick
Photo courtesy Searchlight New Mexico.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

By Joshua Bowling, Searchlight New Mexico<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to staying at five-star resorts, buying luxury furniture and traveling the world on the taxpayers\u2019 dime, former Western New Mexico University President Joseph Shepard also took money intended for building an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant walkway and ramp and used it to build a patio near his house where he could host a welcome event and dancing for his daughter\u2019s wedding, a new lawsuit alleges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lawsuit, filed quietly by the New Mexico State Ethics Commission on June 27, alleges that Shepard violated the state Governmental Conduct Act<\/a>, which regulates how employees at all levels of New Mexico government comport themselves. It raises concerns about many of the expenditures first reported<\/a> in 2023 by Searchlight New Mexico, including nearly $28,000 on exotic furniture from Seret and Sons in Santa Fe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it also reveals previously undisclosed spending by alleging that he took \u201cat least $177,404.83\u201d in funding meant for an ADA-compliant ramp and walkway and instead spent it on a patio to host events that were part of his daughter\u2019s wedding in May of that year. It accuses him of directing employees to say that the flowers he bought for the wedding were actually meant for use during graduation ceremonies and that \u201cno one will know the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs WNMU President, Shepard had a practice of authorizing university expenditures from which he benefited that were only loosely connected to university purposes,\u201d the 106-page lawsuit<\/a> alleges. \u201cWhile a university president has wide latitude to authorize university expenditures for university purposes, the Governmental Conduct Act places a limit on the expenditure of public funds for a private purpose. Shepard transgressed that limit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In early November 2022, then-WNMU Capital Projects Director Joseph Holguin was in communication with a contractor about the ADA-compliant ramp project, the lawsuit states. On Nov. 12, 2022, Shepard learned that his daughter was engaged; within weeks, the lawsuit alleges, he began sending her videos of the campus, touting it as a potential wedding venue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn one video, Shepard walks through phase one of the capital project, saying that a patio expansion near to the \u2026 property would be done in time for the wedding, suggesting the area as a potential venue for wedding related events, and conveying that hosting the wedding at WNMU would cost his daughter nothing,\u201d the lawsuit says. \u201cIt would cost WNMU and the public, however.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Former Western New Mexico University President Joseph Shepard. Courtesy of Western New Mexico University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In early December 2022, the Shepard family \u201ccanceled wedding-related reservations in Arizona, and Shepard planned that WNMU would be the venue for at least some wedding-related events,\u201d the lawsuit alleges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That same month, Holguin learned that the contractor working on the walkway and ramp couldn\u2019t complete the final phase of the project for less than $300,000. \u201cThe $300,000 threshold is significant, because the staff of New Mexico\u2019s Higher Education Department must approve any alterations to university capital projects or site improvements costing over $300,000,\u201d the State Ethics Commission said in its court filing. Holguin was then \u201cdirected to reduce the scope of the project to the sidewalk connecting a driveway to the extant patio and a retaining wall to protect the sidewalk from erosion. Yet, not long after that direction, the scope of the capital project grew to include not only a walkway but also an extended patio adjacent to the \u2026 property for the purpose of hosting wedding-related events.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Email correspondence at the time shows Holguin raising concerns that the contractor\u2019s quoted price for the ADA-compliant ramp had increased along with the scope of the job. \u201cAdd of change order for irrigation and added electrical scope,\u201d he wrote in a 2022 email to Shepard. \u201cOver 300K \u2026 I am not confident we are in a good place to move forward with the number of revised proposals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not long after, Shepard began calling Holguin nearly every day. At one point, the lawsuit says, Shepard insisted that this project be hurried up \u201cbecause he [Shepard] only had one daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn several occasions I personally saw or experienced Dr. Joseph Shepard, then-president of the university, misusing the resources of the university, including employee time,\u201d Holguin is quoted as saying in the lawsuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As university president, Shepard lived in an on-campus house. The construction project connected his home to an adjacent building with a large brick walkway and patio. On June 28, the lushly landscaped patio was decorated with overhead bistro lights, fire pits, umbrellas and cushioned patio furniture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
The patio Shepard\u2019s daughter used for her wedding reception.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As the project progressed, Shepard allegedly \u201cmicromanaged\u201d the construction, \u201cincluding grading changes, utility line adjustments, custom landscaping, and new brickwork \u2014 all of which incurred additional costs and further departed from the original ADA-focused plan.\u201d All of this allegedly led to several \u201csewer breaks\u201d and depleted the university\u2019s inventory of bricks, leading to more purchase orders and more strain on public coffers, the State Ethics Commission claimed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the delays allegedly caused by micromanagement, the construction was completed in time for the wedding. Emails between Holguin and Kelly Riddle, the university vice president of business and finance, show him fretting about the timeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe site grading changes he made earlier in the day resulted in numerous sewer breaks; this morning, our team is onsite making repairs and lowering the gas line. Additionally, I am concerned that we cannot get the additional concrete. Other jobs are pulling trucks from Deming and Las Cruces,\u201d Holguin wrote to Riddle in April 2023. \u201cThere is the possibility we may not have this work done by graduation. However, I am confident everything will be completed for the wedding reception.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of this, the State Ethics Commission argues, fits a pattern of Shepard using public dollars for private enjoyment \u2014 while finding tenuous connections to the university\u2019s betterment to justify the purchases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith respect to the wedding and the patio, Shepard continued the practice of identifying ostensible WNMU purposes to justify expenditures of public funds that were, in fact, intended for a private benefit,\u201d the filing says. \u201cDuring a meeting with WNMU staff about the wedding, Shepard told WNMU staff members that if anything Shepard purchased for the wedding could be used for university fundraising, he should not have to pay for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His daughter\u2019s wedding invitation and schedule \u2014 which features a photo of the couple in front of what appears to be the base of the Superstition Mountains as seen at Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction, Arizona \u2014 directs guests to park near Shepard\u2019s residence for the festivities. \u201cYes,\u201d the invitation reads, \u201cit does show as \u2018President\u2019s Residence\u2019 on Google Maps haha.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The itinerary shows the patio would get a lot of use over the course of the weekend. \u201cThis event will be outdoors so bring layers if it gets chilly!\u201d it instructed guests. \u201cWe\u2019re planning for a food truck dinner, fire pit and dancing\/casual hanging out. If you own cowboy boots, this maaaay be a fantastic time to plan an outfit around them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shepard did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Shepard resigned from his post in December, Searchlight reported<\/a>, he and his wife, former CIA agent-turned-author Valerie Plame, bought a former wedding venue in Embudo, between Santa Fe and Taos. The terms of Shepard\u2019s departure granted him a $1.9 million severance payment and a new teaching job as a tenured professor with an annual salary of $200,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The State Ethics Commission\u2019s suit is the latest action taken against the former WNMU president. In January, Attorney General Ra\u00fal Torrez filed<\/a> a civil suit against him and the university Board of Regents \u2014 all of whom have since left their posts \u2014 and seeks to claw back the $1.9 million severance payment Shepard received upon leaving the job. Shepard has sought to dismiss the lawsuit, but Judge Jarod K. Hofacket has not yet issued a ruling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The commission opened its investigation into Shepard in November, after the Office of the State Auditor released a scathing report<\/a> that accused WNMU leaders of improperly spending more than $360,000. Its lawsuit seeks a $250 payment from Shepard for each confirmed violation of the Governmental Conduct Act (capped at $5,000) and for him to pay restitution to WNMU for the construction of the patio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the ramp that was supposed to be built in compliance with the ADA, a law that\u2019s been on the books since 1990, authorities say it\u2019s still nowhere to be found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUpon information and belief, WNMU has yet to construct an ADA-compliant ramp for the \u2026 property, as originally intended in phase two of the construction project,\u201d Friday\u2019s lawsuit says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story was originally published at Searchlight New Mexico<\/a>, a NMPBS partner.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The new civil action claims that the former WNMU president misappropriated at least $177,000 meant for ADA compliance and used it on a patio to host his daughter\u2019s wedding reception This story was originally published at Searchlight New Mexico, a NMPBS partner. By Joshua Bowling, Searchlight New Mexico In addition to staying at five-star resorts,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":47340,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10906],"tags":[10907],"class_list":["post-47337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-partner-stories","tag-partner-stories"],"yoast_head":"\nJoseph Shepard sued by the New Mexico State Ethics Commission - New Mexico In Focus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Joseph Shepard sued by the New Mexico State Ethics Commission - New Mexico In Focus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The new civil action claims that the former WNMU president misappropriated at least $177,000 meant for ADA compliance and used it on a patio to host his daughter\u2019s wedding reception This story was originally published at Searchlight New Mexico, a NMPBS partner. By Joshua Bowling, Searchlight New Mexico In addition to staying at five-star resorts,…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"New Mexico In Focus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-30T23:50:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-30T23:50:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/WNMU-patio-in-lawsuit.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joshua Bowling\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joshua Bowling\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Joshua Bowling\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0c7950de4df3511d895e3936eb08ee13\"},\"headline\":\"Joseph Shepard sued by the New Mexico State Ethics Commission\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-30T23:50:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-30T23:50:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1495,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/WNMU-patio-in-lawsuit.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Partner Stories\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Partner Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\\\/\",\"name\":\"Joseph Shepard sued by the New Mexico State Ethics Commission - New Mexico In Focus\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/WNMU-patio-in-lawsuit.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-30T23:50:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-30T23:50:13+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0c7950de4df3511d895e3936eb08ee13\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/WNMU-patio-in-lawsuit.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/WNMU-patio-in-lawsuit.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"Photo courtesy Searchlight New Mexico.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Joseph Shepard sued by the New Mexico State Ethics Commission\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/\",\"name\":\"New Mexico In Focus\",\"description\":\"Involved, Informed, In-depth Journalism\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0c7950de4df3511d895e3936eb08ee13\",\"name\":\"Joshua Bowling\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/69cc8e4b79f68de06b2d53cb55f35ca5aecaf9eb0cfa98342890ae004a260cd7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/69cc8e4b79f68de06b2d53cb55f35ca5aecaf9eb0cfa98342890ae004a260cd7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/69cc8e4b79f68de06b2d53cb55f35ca5aecaf9eb0cfa98342890ae004a260cd7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Joshua Bowling\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.newmexicopbs.org\\\/productions\\\/newmexicoinfocus\\\/author\\\/joshuabowling\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Joseph Shepard sued by the New Mexico State Ethics Commission - New Mexico In Focus","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Joseph Shepard sued by the New Mexico State Ethics Commission - New Mexico In Focus","og_description":"The new civil action claims that the former WNMU president misappropriated at least $177,000 meant for ADA compliance and used it on a patio to host his daughter\u2019s wedding reception This story was originally published at Searchlight New Mexico, a NMPBS partner. By Joshua Bowling, Searchlight New Mexico In addition to staying at five-star resorts,…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\/","og_site_name":"New Mexico In Focus","article_published_time":"2025-06-30T23:50:10+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-06-30T23:50:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/WNMU-patio-in-lawsuit.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Joshua Bowling","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Joshua Bowling","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\/"},"author":{"name":"Joshua Bowling","@id":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/#\/schema\/person\/0c7950de4df3511d895e3936eb08ee13"},"headline":"Joseph Shepard sued by the New Mexico State Ethics Commission","datePublished":"2025-06-30T23:50:10+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-30T23:50:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\/"},"wordCount":1495,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/WNMU-patio-in-lawsuit.jpg","keywords":["Partner Stories"],"articleSection":["Partner Stories"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\/","url":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\/","name":"Joseph Shepard sued by the New Mexico State Ethics Commission - New Mexico In Focus","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/WNMU-patio-in-lawsuit.jpg","datePublished":"2025-06-30T23:50:10+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-30T23:50:13+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/#\/schema\/person\/0c7950de4df3511d895e3936eb08ee13"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/WNMU-patio-in-lawsuit.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/WNMU-patio-in-lawsuit.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080,"caption":"Photo courtesy Searchlight New Mexico."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/joseph-shepard-sued-by-the-new-mexico-state-ethics-commission\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Joseph Shepard sued by the New Mexico State Ethics Commission"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/","name":"New Mexico In Focus","description":"Involved, Informed, In-depth Journalism","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/#\/schema\/person\/0c7950de4df3511d895e3936eb08ee13","name":"Joshua Bowling","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/69cc8e4b79f68de06b2d53cb55f35ca5aecaf9eb0cfa98342890ae004a260cd7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/69cc8e4b79f68de06b2d53cb55f35ca5aecaf9eb0cfa98342890ae004a260cd7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/69cc8e4b79f68de06b2d53cb55f35ca5aecaf9eb0cfa98342890ae004a260cd7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Joshua Bowling"},"url":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/author\/joshuabowling\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47337"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47337\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47344,"href":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47337\/revisions\/47344"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}