SANTA FE – A former high-ranking Democratic state legislator and Albuquerque public school administrator has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of racketeering, money laundering, fraud and ethics violations in connection with an alleged kickback scheme, prosecutors said Monday.
The charges against former state Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton were filed in state District Court in Albuquerque and confirmed by the state Attorney General’s Office.
A defense attorney for Stapleton was not immediately available to respond to the charges. The indictment lists 28 charges, including 10 counts of using an official act for personal financial gain as well as a tax evasion charge.
Stapleton previously denied related allegations enclosed in a warrant, even as she resigned her legislative post in July as the second-ranking Democrat in the state House of Representatives.
She was fired in late-August by the Albuquerque public school system from her position in vocational education amid administrative and criminal probes into her ties to a private contractor for the state's largest school district.
Authorities for months have been investigating Stapleton’s possibly illegal connections to the company Robotics Learning Management that received more than $5 million in contracts to do business with the school district, and whether she received financial kickbacks.
The school district’s review extends to activities dating back to 2006. At least 11 employees were initially placed on administrative leave.
New Mexico has witnessed a string of criminal convictions against high-level public officials in recent years.
Last week, former state Taxation and Revenue Secretary Demesia Padilla was fined and sentenced to community service over embezzlement and illicit computer access.
Jail sentences were handed down on convictions in 2018 against former state Sen. Phil Griego for using his position as a legislator to profit off the sale of a state-owned building and in 2015 against ex-Secretary of State Dianna Duran for using campaign funds to fuel a gambling addiction.
