The former University of New Mexico men’s basketball staffer indicted last month on a felony charge of embezzling for what the school alleges was his bilking the school out of about $63,000 more than two years ago did not appear in court this week as originally planned.
Instead, as is common for an out-of-state defendant accused of a white-collar crime, 35-year-old Cody Hopkins waived his arraignment on one felony charge of embezzlement and five counts of forgery.
Court documents show his Albuquerque attorney, Paul Kennedy, filed for the waiver of appearance and signed off on his standard conditions of release on Friday – conditions that include Hopkins being released on personal recognizance, being allowed to remain in Texas, where he lives and works at Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, not consuming alcohol or drugs, maintaining weekly contact with his attorneys and avoiding contact with “the alleged victim or any witnesses who may testify in this case.”
Meanwhile, the initial witness list the state submitted to the court reads like a who’s who from UNM press clippings of the past several years.
Potential witnesses the District Attorney’s Office has indicated it may call at evidentiary hearings or trial include former Lobos men’s basketball coach Craig Neal, who was Hopkins’ boss; current UNM Board of Regents members Marron Lee and Bradley Hosmer and former Regent Jack Fortner (all members of the Regents’ Audit Committee); current and former Lobo assistant coaches who the state claims had their names forged or witnessed Hopkins’ actions; and Daniel Libit, the independent journalist whose website NMFishbowl.com published an article featuring several Hopkins statements about the case.
Among those not listed on the state’s potential witness list, but who the defense may call if the case goes to trial, are former UNM athletic director Paul Krebs, former Deputy Athletic Director Tim Cass, and former athletics department Director of Business Operations Yvonne Otts. Cass and Otts, UNM has said, were supervisors who met regularly with Hopkins about details of the purchasing card UNM claims he used to embezzle money. Neither halted use of the card while the alleged crimes were taking place.
Cass has told the Journal he never met with Hopkins about the card.
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