$147,000 of State Funds Misspent by NHCC

Clara Apodaca

Veritas New Mexico - New Mexico Cultural Affairs Secretary Veronica Gonzales and State Auditor Hector Balderas demanded Monday that the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) Foundation return $147,000 of $812,500 in taxpayer funds intended for completion of a 45-foot-tall fresco of New Mexico history at the Center’s Torreón (pictured). “I fully expect the Foundation to repay the thousands in public money it improperly spent,” Balderas said. The Albuquerque accounting firm Moss Adams found in its state-ordered audit that the Foundation had misspent $147,000 from lawmakers’ 2008 fresco appropriations. The Foundation had already returned March 31 what it said was an unspent balance of $138,361 of the state fresco funds. The state will now pursue the return of an additional $147,000, Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) Deputy Secretary Doug Svetnicka said Monday. Foundation President Clara R. Apodaca could not be reached for comment. Read full story here: News New Mexico

$147,000 of State Funds Misspent by NHCC