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COURTS

State official says Stapleton pressured her to buy co-defendant's software

Testimony continues in public corruption trial of former House majority leader

A former state official testified Thursday that she felt pressured by former state Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton to allow school districts statewide to use a software program owned by a friend and co-defendant of the former House majority leader.

The testimony came on the fourth day of the public corruption trial of Stapleton, 68, and her co-defendant, Joseph Johnson. Each faces 37 federal criminal charges, including bribery, mail fraud and money laundering.

In opening statements Monday, Stapleton's attorney told jurors that she stole money from Johnson but denied stealing taxpayer funds.

Johnson's attorney has argued that his client was an innocent victim of Stapleton's crimes.

Both are being tried in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque. The trial is expected to continue through Aug. 14.

Elaine Perea, a former state Public Education Department official, testified that Stapleton told her in 2019 to buy a statewide license for Johnson's Cyberquest software using state funding from legislation Stapleton sponsored that year.

Perea, who headed PED's Career Readiness Bureau in 2019, said Stapleton gave the directive during a meeting in Albuquerque to discuss the legislation, which became known as NextGen.

"The impression that I got was that I was being put on notice that I needed to do what she expected me to do," Perea told jurors.

Perea said she ignored Stapleton's request and instead issued a request for proposals seeking a vendor to provide online math and science training for students in career and technical education programs statewide.

Two companies responded, and one was selected for the contract, Perea said. Johnson's company, Robotics Management Learning Systems, a Washington, D.C.-based firm, did not submit a proposal, though it could have.

Before PED could award the contract, however, Perea said she was instructed to halt the procurement process.

Her testimony was interrupted by objections from Stapleton's attorneys, followed by a bench conference with U.S. District Judge James O. Browning outside the jury's hearing.

Browning ruled that Perea could answer only "yes" or "no" to questions from Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Federici.

"Was it your management who told you to stop the contract?" Federici asked.

"Yes," Perea replied.

Stapleton co-sponsored legislation in 2019 that provided state funding for a seven-year pilot program supporting career and technical education, primarily in smaller school districts that did not qualify for federal Perkins Act funding, Perea testified.

Federal prosecutors allege that Stapleton used her position as director of Albuquerque Public Schools' Career and Technical Education program to steer federal education funding to Johnson's company for its software.

According to the federal indictment, Stapleton directed $1,152,506 from Robotics' checking account into accounts she controlled using blank checks provided by the company. The alleged offenses occurred between July 2013 and June 2020.

Federal prosecutors are expected to continue presenting their case Friday.

Olivier Uyttebrouck covers courts for the Journal. Contact him at olivier@abqjournal.com.