Attorney General's Office looking into allegations against Saint Augustine's board of trustees

The North Carolina Attorney General’s office plans to look into allegations about the conduct of the Saint Augustine’s University board of trustees.

According to a spokesperson from the Attorney General’s office, it is “concerned” about the allegations against the university’s board and “is looking into those allegations further.”

A group of alumni, known as Save SAU, sued the board and alleged that Brian Boulware, chairman of the St. Augustine University Board of Trustees, benefited from the brokerage fee paid by the school on a $7 million loan, allowed wire transfers for hundreds of thousands of dollars with no paperwork and left the university on the brink of losing its accreditation and with it, federal funding nearly eight in 10 students depend on.

The Save SAU coalition also accused the board of not following bidding procedures for construction projects, violating bylaws and "breaching their implied duties." Boulware has denied the allegations made against him and the board.

It is unclear what allegations the attorney general’s office is looking into. WRAL News has reached out to the Save SAU coalition, who provided the following statement through an attorney:

"Representatives of the coalition have had several meetings with attorneys at the Department of Justice, who were monitoring our lawsuit throughout the year. We very much appreciate and support their attention to this important issue."

WRAL News also reached out the Attorney General’s Office for more specifics of this investigation.

On Thursday, Judge Becky Holt ruled that the SAVE SAU group did not have standing to make changes to the board. The group has blamed the board for putting the historically Black university on the brink of shutting down due to financial issues.

Save SAU said they were going to contact the AG office after their lawsuit was dismissed.

The Saint Augustine’s University board of trustees released an official statement about Thursday's dismissal:

"The Board of Trustees of Saint Augustine’s University (SAU) appreciates the court’s decision to dismiss the baseless lawsuit filed by the Save SAU Coalition," the statement reads in part. "We respect and value the judicial process, and we are grateful that the court has recognized our commitment to operating within the bounds of the law and prioritizing the best interests of our institution and its stakeholders."

The board of trustees said it welcomes the review from the Attorney General's office.

Read more about the financial and accreditation issues the school has faced here.