Despite a massive corruption trial looming over Democrats’ ex-New Mexico House Majority Floor Leader Sheryl Williams Stapleton (D-Bernalillo), she is “not in custody,” according to the Albuquerque Journal.
The Journal noted that Second Judicial District Judge Lucy Soliman “estimated that a trial will be scheduled some 400 days out. Stapleton, who is not in custody, did not appear at the Zoom hearing Thursday.”
Stapleton’s house was raided last July after it was revealed she had been allegedly embezzling around $1 million from New Mexico’s taxpayers — specifically New Mexico’s Children through the Albuquerque Public Schools, where she used to work. She was fired from the cushy $ 79,000-per-year gig.
The Piñon Post’s exclusive report uncovering her ties to other high-profile New Mexico Democrats has revealed Stapleton’s alleged graft has been going on for around 30 years, in tandem with Joseph Johnson, a shady former New Mexico secretary of health who also has previously been hit with bribery and fraud charges.
Stapleton was indicted on 26 counts, including ten counts of improper statutory citations ranging from second to fourth-degree felonies, two counts of violating the ethical principles of public service, both misdemeanors, nine counts of engaging in official acts for personal gain, all of them being fourth-degree felonies, at least one count of tax evasion (a fourth-degree felony), among others.
In 2011, Larry Barker of KRQE 13 News found that Stapleton “pocketed more than $100,000 — money she didn’t earn — from APS over the years while serving in the legislature. But instead of being punished or forced to pay it back, Superintendent Winston Brooks changed the rules for Stapleton.” Brooks dismissed Stapleton’s $167,000 worth of unauthorized leave from APS, saying, “What I did was I changed the employee handbook so that anyone can be a legislator in Santa Fe and be paid for it.”
In 2018, former Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission executive director Kimberly Greene and former employees Cheryl Yazzie and Charles Countee pleaded guilty to fraud and embezzlement charges by creating phony state vouchers to heist over $67,700 from the Commission. According to Greene, she claims she “was coerced by [then]-House Minority Whip Sheryl Williams Stapleton, D-Albuquerque, to enter into a no-bid contract with eRead, an outside contractor for ACT/SAT program,” according to the New Mexico Political Report. However, Stapleton claimed, “I was never involved, never spoke to anybody about a no-bid contract.”
This is not surprising here in New Mexico, if she had been a Republican she would have been locked away since this “broke” but since she’s a Socialist aka Democrat she’s free.
The circle of corruption in New Mexico state Government just gets bigger and bigger! Until people wake up and change the way they vote New Mexico will continue to be LAST in everything except crime and corruption!
Well… that thing called Karma does eventually catch up – but often after the damage has been done, and becomes only a side note on page one thousand, and then quickly forgotten. I don’t look for justice to happen in this state. Only a tainted narrative from the top washing down. Crime DOES pay, and often the guilty just keep thumbing their noses at lowly citizens such as me, who believes the law SHOULD apply to all of us, not selectively.
Taxpayers work their ass off so Cheryl Williams Stapleton, Kimberly Greene, Joseph Johnson, Winston Brooks, Cheryl Yazzie, Charles Countree can live it up and have businesses and anything money will buy and steal from our children, they should all be behind bars, they are common thieves and low life criminals. Yet they want respect and lie and pretend they work for the people of New Mexico.
Wow, she still has not gone to trial. Oh wait she’s a democrap. They are the only ones that can break every and all law and stay free. Anyone else would already be doing hard time. When will all the other democraps she named go to trial for breaking the law? NEVER, evil dems rule this state. They stole it, and they have their evil claws in it.
Do we really have any expectation that there will even be a trial? They will probably say she didn’t understand the rules and so she should be given a pass. This state is disgusting.
As long as this has been going on you know beyond a shadow of doubt that the current administration is completely complicit in the corruption.
Yea and he does a great job of giving people a different side to the spin propaganda communist media always shove down our throats . The “mainstream “ media “ are just a wing of the Marxist government that is currently in control. John is a breath of fresh air except to communist trolls and shills.
This person had been stealing money for some time ,WHY HAVEN’T the DA office seized all her assets and bank accounts froze, wonder who else she’s in bed with once a thief always a theft,
This no bond or bail is ridicule’s put her in jail and wait until it is done.
Not sure how someone can look at themself everyday with knowledge that their misdeeds have been exposed. The entitled mentality makes any positive contribution made seem like window dressing.
There are many people who would have filled either leadership role with respect and dignity if given a chance. To throw these opportunities away is tragedy. SWS must have a lead lined stomach.