Former high-ranking Democratic legislator in New Mexico convicted in federal fraud case
Summary
A former top Democratic lawmaker in New Mexico, Sheryl Williams Stapleton, was found guilty of federal charges involving a scheme that took money from public schools and funneled it to a friend's company in exchange for kickbacks. She and her co-defendant, Joseph Johnson, face charges such as bribery, fraud, and money laundering related to millions of dollars from federally funded school programs.Key Facts
- Sheryl Williams Stapleton, a former New Mexico state House majority leader, was convicted on dozens of federal charges.
- The charges include bribery, mail fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to defraud the government.
- The scheme involved diverting over $3 million from public school funds to Robotics Management Learning Systems LLC, a company owned by Joseph Johnson.
- Most of the money came from federal funds intended for vocational education programs.
- Williams Stapleton wrote about 230 checks totaling over $1.1 million from the company’s accounts for her own benefit.
- Joseph Johnson was unaware of the withdrawals and testified that he lost focus on the business after a personal tragedy.
- Both defendants failed to report thousands of dollars in income from Robotics on their tax returns.
- Williams Stapleton resigned from the legislature and was fired from her school district job after search warrants were served in 2021.
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