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A federal jury found former New Mexico House Majority Leader Sheryl Williams Stapleton and a co-defendant guilty Friday on all counts following a trial that set out in detail an elaborate eight-year scheme to steal state and federal education funding.

Stapleton, 69, and her co-defendant, Joseph Johnson, 75, both walked out of the courthouse Friday after U.S. District Judge James O. Browning released the pair pending sentencing. Browning said he would set their sentencings within 90 days.

鈥淚t has been shown by clear and convincing evidence that neither is a flight risk or a danger to the community,鈥� Browning said.

A jury of five men and seven women found Stapleton and Johnson guilty on each count they faced, including bribery, mail fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each was also convicted of one count of conspiracy to defraud the 近距离内射合集 States.

In addition, Stapleton was convicted on three counts of fraud and false statements for failing to declare income on her personal tax returns. She was convicted of 31 felony charges in all, and Johnson on 28 charges.

"We're all emotionally taken aback with respect to the verdict that the jury came back with, and she obviously hasn't had the time to process that," one of her attorneys, Ahmad Assed, said after the verdict outside the U.S. District Courthouse in Albuquerque. Stapleton herself offered no comment as she exited the courthouse.

"It's a difficult thing, and quite frankly, any human being in her position would have a significant emotional impact processing that information," Assed said.

Stapleton showed little emotion as Browning read the lengthy verdict forms. Johnson turned in his chair at one point and looked at his wife, who sat behind him as verdicts were read.

Federal prosecutors declined on Friday to say the maximum prison time Stapleton and Johnson will face at sentencing.

Jurors found Stapleton, a former official at Albuquerque Public Schools, and Johnson, the owner of Washington, D.C.-based Robotics Management Learning Systems, guilty of conspiring to steal more than $2 million in state and federal education funding intended for technical education programs at APS from July 2013 through June 2020.

Jurors reached the verdicts by about 11 a.m. Friday after beginning deliberations late Thursday afternoon. 

Stapleton still faces 28 criminal counts in state district court, including racketeering, money laundering, fraud and engaging in an official act for personal financial gain. She is scheduled for trial Oct. 5 in 2nd Judicial District Court before Judge David Murphy.

Stapleton's other attorney, Ryan Villa, said the New Mexico Department of Justice should rethink its intention to prosecute Stapleton in state District Court given her conviction in U.S. District Court. Johnson is not charged with any state crimes.

"We intend to ask the state if they still want to proceed with the taxpayers' money, time, and energy on a trial for essentially the identical charges for which Ms. Stapleton was just found guilty," Villa said. "We don't think it's in the state's best interest to go forward with a case like that."

Lauren Rodriguez, chief of staff for the New Mexico Department of Justice, said Friday the agency is assessing the impact of Stapleton鈥檚 federal conviction on the pending state case, which was on hold pending resolution of the federal charges.

鈥淣ow that the federal case has been decided, we will evaluate our options and provide the court with appropriate notice regarding next steps,鈥� Rodriguez said in a statement.

Stapleton, a longtime Democratic state representative for House District 19, east of the University of New Mexico, resigned from her post in June 2021 after New Mexico Department of Justice investigators served search warrants at her home and offices. She was fired by APS in August 2021.

Stapleton鈥檚 attorneys told jurors during the two-week trial that Stapleton admitted stealing money from Johnson鈥檚 company but denied taking money from taxpayers, as prosecutors alleged.

鈥淪he did take money and she shouldn't have," Villa said last week during opening statements. "We're not here to tell you that she is 100% innocent."

Witnesses testified that APS mailed checks to Robotics to a post office box in Albuquerque in payment for the use of Robotics鈥� educational software, CyberQuest, which was intended to teach math skills to students in APS鈥檚 Career and Technical Education programs.

A former New Mexico Department of Justice agent testified that Stapleton personally retrieved the checks and deposited them in Robotics鈥� checking account at an Albuquerque bank.

Johnson鈥檚 office manager in Washington, D.C., mailed blank Robotics checks to Stapleton, who used 234 of those checks to deposit $1,152,506 into accounts that she controlled, including those of her family鈥檚 restaurant, her consulting business and a nonprofit foundation controlled by Johnson and Stapleton, according to the indictment.

Olivier Uyttebrouck covers the court system. You can reach him at olivier@abqjournal.com.

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