Sheryl Williams Stapleton, a former high-ranking Democratic legislator in New Mexico, has pleaded guilty to state charges including fraud and money laundering. The plea comes just three weeks after a federal jury convicted her on similar charges related to a scheme prosecutors described as yearslong.
Williams Stapleton changed her plea during a hearing Friday. State prosecutors initially filed charges against her in 2021. Under the terms of the plea agreement, most of the charges were dropped, and the agreement recommends a 10 1/2-year prison sentence and over $1.8 million in restitution.
"Today’s guilty plea holds Sheryl Williams Stapleton accountable for defrauding New Mexico taxpayers and abusing the public trust," said Lauren Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Justice. Rodriguez added that state prosecutors are pleased the federal sentencing range will provide significant incarceration time.
Williams Stapleton, a former state House majority leader and an administrator with Albuquerque Public Schools, was first elected in 1994. She resigned from the House in 2021 after search warrants were executed at her home, and the school district subsequently terminated her employment.
According to federal prosecutors, the school district paid more than $3 million to Robotics Management Learning Systems LLC, a company at the center of both the state and federal cases. These funds were primarily designated for vocational education programs. As the district's career and technical education director, Williams Stapleton allegedly directed program money to Robotics, which was owned by her friend and federal co-defendant Joseph Johnson. Prosecutors stated that Williams Stapleton facilitated the company's invoices through the procurement process, while Johnson is accused of providing blank checks to her.
During the federal trial, evidence was presented suggesting that Williams Stapleton and Johnson failed to report thousands of dollars in payments from Robotics on their federal income tax returns. Johnson was also convicted in the federal case. Neither he nor Williams Stapleton have been sentenced in the federal matter, and their attorneys had previously indicated an intent to appeal the federal verdicts.