Albuquerque, NM (KKOB) –Another postponement was ordered this week by a federal judge in the trial for Sheryl Williams Stapleton. The new trial will take place in August, nearly five years after criminal allegations led to her resignation as state House Majority leader. U.S. District Judge James O. Browning raised the possibility that the delay would give Stapleton and her co-defendant an opportunity to negotiate a plea deal with prosecutors. A federal grand jury in 2024 indicted Stapleton, a former APS official and state lawmaker, and her co-defendant, Joseph Johnson, each on 35 federal criminal counts, including multiple counts of mail fraud, money laundering and bribery. Stapleton and Johnson each pled not guilty and deny the charges. In a state case, Stapleton faces 23 felony charges and three misdemeanors in 2nd Judicial Court. The state case is set for trial in October. The charges are a result of APS contract with Robotics Management Learning Systems LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based company owned by Johnson, that provided software and training for vocational students at a cost of more than $5 million from 2013 through June 2020.
