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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFormer N.M. state lawmaker Williams Stapleton indicted on 28 counts
Former House Majority Leader Sheryl Williams Stapleton as recently as two months ago one of New Mexicos most influential politicians could face 79 years in prison if convicted on all 28 criminal counts handed down by a grand jury on Monday.
Williams Stapleton, D-Albuquerque, was indicted on racketeering, money laundering and fraud charges in connection with what prosecutors have called an elaborate scheme to financially gain from a deal she helped broker with a Washington, D.C.-based company through her position as the head of the Career and Technical Education department at Albuquerque Public Schools, her employer. She recently was fired from the school district.
All but two of the charges are felonies, and four charges carry a sentence of nine years of imprisonment and fines up to $10,000. Many of the others carry a basic sentence of 18 months and fines not to exceed $5,000. One of the counts, a second-degree felony charge of racketeering, states Williams Stapleton was associated with a criminal enterprise. Other charges include:
Five counts of money laundering that add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in diverted funds from the school district to entities with which she [Williams Stapleton] was associated.
One count of fraud, alleging Williams Stapleton tried to cheat the district, resulting in her receiving over $20,000, [in] money that belonged to someone other than her.
One charge of soliciting or receiving an illegal kickback in cash or in kind from Robotics Learning Management LLC, the East Coast company that provided web-based learning materials to the district, in return for arranging or recommending the purchase, lease or ordering of the companys goods by Albuquerque Public Schools.
Williams Stapleton, 64, has denied any wrongdoing but resigned from her legislative seat in late July, saying she would put all her efforts into fighting the charges. Her lawyer, Ahmed Assed of Albuquerque, did not return a call seeking comment.
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/former-state-lawmaker-williams-stapleton-indicted-on-28-counts/article_ffba17c4-1a2f-11ec-8c45-d3b644960660.html
msfiddlestix
(7,265 posts)Prompted by a letter suggesting suspicious activity being conducted by the now indicted law-maker. A search of her offices were conducted and a Grand Jury convened in July following an investigation into the allegations. And now the GJ handed down the indictment All in less than six months.
Funny how that works when it's a Democrat. But for Republicans? Apparently not so much.
niyad
(112,435 posts)Greybnk48
(10,148 posts)left-of-center2012
(34,195 posts)Party affiliation isn't a factor.
I live in Albuquerque and this story has had a lot of exposure.
She created fake companies; mailed them government and school checks; then cashed the checks and pocketed the money.
$400,000 of the checks went to the restaurant she owns.
So no, it's not because she's a Democrat, a woman, or Black.
It's cause she's a crook who stole $4.4 million.
msfiddlestix
(7,265 posts)I'm just looking at how justice and accountability works in certain corrupt cases, but not so much in others.
I'm thinking of TFG along with all of his corrupt co-conspirators, family et al.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)of course, but corruption in government is SO much more common among conservative officials that there is reason to wonder if someone so corrupt, money-oriented corruption too, might be conservative in personality type.
Yes, she's a Democrat, but Democrats have strongly dominated NM government for decades. It's pretty common for conservatives who want to be elected in blue districts or states to posture and run as Democrats (far more so than the reverse). Plus, she's female and black, both reasons in themselves that some conservatives align with the Democratic Party.
Operating in a strongly blue environment of course means her voting record won't be the indicator it often is, so it's just wondering. And anyway, we get to own this one.
26 years in the legislature, though, house majority floor leader when she had to resign. What a one-car pileup!