Officers for the Route 66 Association of New Mexico filed a report with Albuquerque Police and complaints to the state’s attorney general against former president Melissa Beasley-Lee, alleging fraud and the spending of the nonprofit organization’s funds for personal use.
Route 66 News obtained the Albuquerque Police Department report and complaints to the New Mexico Department of Justice through an open-records request.
As of Saturday, Beasley-Lee had not been charged, though the Albuquerque Police report states the case has been referred to detectives.
A spokeswoman for the attorney general also described the allegations as “potentially illegal activities.”
For six months, Beasley-Lee has disputed assertions by the association and its members that she resigned as president after they accused her of unauthorized purchases. Association members have been largely closed-mouthed about the matter since Beasley-Lee’s lawyer sent them a cease-and-desist letter.
Longtime Route 66 Association of New Mexico member Johnnie Meier told Albuquerque Police that Beasley-Lee took about $23,500 from the association’s bank account without authorization, including checks of $10,500 and $2,500.
“John and other board members had noticed that Melissa was taking money out of the company’s fund and would not disclose why,” the APD report stated.
“On March 9th, 2024, John and the Board of Directors had called for a meeting with Melissa to address the issue. However, Melissa decided to resign without disclosing where the money went.
“John further explained that after Melissa resigned, she still withheld access to the company’s bank account, storage locker, website, and email. John also advised me that since nobody in the company had access to these things anymore, nobody knows what Melissa did with the company’s money after she left.”
Beasley-Lee disputes the resignation, claiming she still is president. She subsequently organized the election of a new board of directors.
She also formed a second Facebook account called the New Mexico Route 66 Association. The original association is listed on Facebook as the Route 66 Association of New Mexico.
She recently published a fall 2024 edition of the association’s magazine, announcing the reputed new board of directors.
Meier told the police officer “Melissa even hired new staff members under the new fraudulent company name, which jeopardized the relationship between the company and the federal grantors where they receive their money.”
The report states it was forwarded to detectives in the Albuquerque Police Department for follow-up.
The complaints to the attorney general’s office contained a few more details, including the fateful March 9 meeting of the association’s board of directors.
Vickie Ashcraft, elected president of the association after Beasley-Lee’s apparent resignation, wrote the complaints. Seven association board members were listed as other parties in the complaints.
“At the meeting, the BOD confronted the then President, Ms. Lee, with documented incidents of malfeasance,” Ashcraft stated. “Ms. Lee chose not to address the malfeasance issues and instead resigned.
“The BOD, acting in compliance with the Association’s bylaws that explicitly refer to a vacancy created by an officer’s resignation, voted to elect a new President, Vickie Ashcraft.”
The report states before the March meeting, Beasley-Lee applied for and was awarded a $50,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation without board knowledge or approval.
The grant was slated for repairing hail-damaged neon signs in Tucumcari. Meier also said the grant was to be used to produce three do-it-yourself videos on neon repair.
The report alleges Beasley-Lee paid the video company she co-owns, Fast TV Network, about half of the grant, again without authorization.
The complaint states when Beasley-Lee was asked about the grant during the March board meeting, she and her husband, Fast TV Network President and CEO Mike Lee, “became agitated and resigned.” Mike Lee had been a member of the association.
Ashcraft wrote that Beasley-Lee has continued to present herself as president of the association, changed passwords to all association assets, altered the association’s business listing on the New Mexico Secretary of State website and took control of the association’s bank accounts.
The complaint added a detail that led to the board’s confrontation with Beasley-Lee during the March meeting: “An examination of Association bank records indicates an embezzlement where Ms. Lee, prior to her March 9th resignation, had written checks to herself from the Association’s bank account in violation of Association bylaws in that no officer or board member is allowed to receive compensation without board authorization.”
The complaint states Beasley-Lee continues to withdraw money from the organization, though she no longer is an association officer.
The complaint to the attorney general’s office states that two days after the $50,000 National Trust grant was deposited on Dec. 11 into the association’s account, she wrote a check for $10,500 to Fast TV Network.
Another $10,500 check was written to Fast TV Network and a $2,500 check was written to herself, both on Jan. 12.
Ashley Sterling, deputy communications director for the New Mexico Department of Justice, stated in an email to Route 66 News her office offered guidance to Ashcraft “on appropriate next steps.”
“One of the complaints presented allegations of potentially illegal activities, leading to a recommendation to contact local law enforcement in order for them to conduct an investigation before determining any further action by NMDOJ, if any,” Sterling stated.
A message left on Beasley-Lee’s phone requesting comment was not returned.
In a “From the President” section of the association’s fall magazine, Beasley Lee acknowledged “a challenging few months” but did not mention the dispute between her and the association.
In a Facebook post in July, Beasley-Lee blamed “a few narcissists” trying to do “everything they possibly can to destroy me and everything in their path to accomplish their goal. This included the New Mexico Route 66 Association, my husband Mike, and Fast TV Network.”
“I am proud to say I am still the president of the New Mexico Route 66 Association, as I always have been throughout this terrible ordeal, and I have no intentions of stepping down anytime soon,” she added.
(Image of a Route 66 road sign near the continental divide in New Mexico by jaygannett via Flickr)