Doña Ana County never reported a 2022 jail inmate-money loss, audit of 42 failures finds
A 355-page special audit by New Mexico State Auditor Joseph Maestas, presented to the Doña Ana County Board of County Commissioners in May 2026, made 42 findings covering roughly 2020 to 2025 in procurement, grants, human resources, the detention center and the sheriff's office. Among them: an apparent misappropriation of jail inmates' trust money that surfaced in 2022 but was never reported to the state auditor as the law requires; county officials blamed a communication failure. In June the Department of Finance and Administration cited "systemic, pervasive, and long-standing failures" and ordered the county to hire an outside fiscal agent before drawing state capital funds. The county appealed, then hired one for up to $489,000. No official has been publicly disciplined; the conditions stay until all 42 findings are fixed.
Among the findings was an apparent misappropriation of money belonging to county jail inmates that surfaced in 2022 but was never reported to the state auditor, as required by law.
The report also found the county failed to immediately report an alledged misappropriation involving inmate trust fund accounts in 2022, as required under state rules.
The county appealed the directive, questioning the need for a fiscal agent and stating that recent annual audits had not reported findings of material weaknesses or significant deficiencies.
Officials blamed the unreported inmate-fund lapse on a communication failure and appealed the state's fiscal-agent order.
No outcome recorded yet.