Overview
- A federal jury convicted Sheryl Williams Stapleton on all 37 federal counts and found Joseph Johnson guilty of parallel fraud and bribery charges after a nine-day trial that ended Friday.
- Prosecutors said Albuquerque Public Schools paid Robotics Management Learning Systems about $3.2–$3.25 million from 2013 to 2021, including roughly $2.5 million from federal Perkins vocational-education grants.
- Evidence presented at trial showed Stapleton steered contracts and invoices to Robotics, used blank checks from the company, and received roughly $1.15 million in kickbacks delivered through businesses she controlled, a nonprofit and personal payments.
- Stapleton’s lawyers conceded she took money but argued it came from Johnson’s company rather than taxpayers and Johnson said he was unaware of withdrawals; the jury rejected those defenses and prosecutors also showed failures to report payments on federal tax returns and state disclosures.
- Both defendants remain released on conditions pending sentencing in November 2026, restitution and additional state charges are still possible, and the case raises fresh questions about APS procurement and federal grant oversight.