Robert Valencia, the former facilities director for Taos Municipal Schools, is accused of awarding contracts worth nearly $250,000 to his own fencing company, All Around Fencing LLC, over a five-year period, according to a forensic audit conducted by the district. Antonio Layton, superintendent for Taos Municipal Schools, said the audit revealed troubling findings. “Anytime a district goes through a forensic audit and you see the results from that of this magnitude, it will always be shocking,” Layton said. The audit claims Valencia and outside contractors orchestrated a procurement fraud scheme that enriched his company through projects such as maintenance and fence installation. According to the report, Valencia used subcontractors for most of the work and allegedly profited from contracts for projects like a back gate at Taos Middle School, landscaping around a fence at Arroyos del Norte Elementary, and work on a portable at Taos High School. The audit also alleges that Valencia’s wife, who served as the assistant finance director for the district, tampered with tax forms to conceal her husband’s identity in the contracts. Both Valencia and his wife were placed on leave in 2022, and the audit’s findings were submitted to the state’s ethics commission last November. “Good that our board at the time made that self-report to take care of what we need to take care of,” Layton said. “What was being reported was irregularities. And once they brought that to the, I want to say the powers that be, but brought to the authorities.” The state ethics commission has since filed a complaint spanning over 100 pages, which aligns with many of the allegations outlined in the audit. Valencia declined to comment when contacted, stating his attorney had advised him not to speak further. Court records do not show any attorneys listed for Valencia or his company. Layton said the district has taken steps to address the audit’s findings and prevent similar issues in the future. “We’ve made a lot of progress towards the results from the audit and making progress towards transparency, clean up our process and procedures. And so we’ve made great strides with a lot of the updated changes to make sure that we address some of the findings,” Layton said. The state ethics commission declined to comment on the pending case.
Robert Valencia, the former facilities director for Taos Municipal Schools, is accused of awarding contracts worth nearly $250,000 to his own fencing company, All Around Fencing LLC, over a five-year period, according to a forensic audit conducted by the district.
Antonio Layton, superintendent for Taos Municipal Schools, said the audit revealed troubling findings.
“Anytime a district goes through a forensic audit and you see the results from that of this magnitude, it will always be shocking,” Layton said.
The audit claims Valencia and outside contractors orchestrated a procurement fraud scheme that enriched his company through projects such as maintenance and fence installation. According to the report, Valencia used subcontractors for most of the work and allegedly profited from contracts for projects like a back gate at Taos Middle School, landscaping around a fence at Arroyos del Norte Elementary, and work on a portable at Taos High School.
The audit also alleges that Valencia’s wife, who served as the assistant finance director for the district, tampered with tax forms to conceal her husband’s identity in the contracts. Both Valencia and his wife were placed on leave in 2022, and the audit’s findings were submitted to the state’s ethics commission last November.
“Good that our board at the time made that self-report to take care of what we need to take care of,” Layton said. “What was being reported was irregularities. And once they brought that to the, I want to say the powers that be, but brought to the authorities.”
The state ethics commission has since filed a complaint spanning over 100 pages, which aligns with many of the allegations outlined in the audit. Valencia declined to comment when contacted, stating his attorney had advised him not to speak further. Court records do not show any attorneys listed for Valencia or his company.
Layton said the district has taken steps to address the audit’s findings and prevent similar issues in the future.
“We’ve made a lot of progress towards the results from the audit and making progress towards transparency, clean up our process and procedures. And so we’ve made great strides with a lot of the updated changes to make sure that we address some of the findings,” Layton said.
The state ethics commission declined to comment on the pending case.
