ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The public corruption trial continued in federal court on Friday, as prosecutors work to show how former state lawmaker and Albuquerque Public Schools official Sheryl Wlliams Staplton used her positions to funnel federal grant money into her own personal accounts.
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At the start of this week, prosecutors told jurors to “follow the money” in order to find Stapleton guilty of stealing roughly $1 million from a federal grant over an eight year period. That’s when Stapleton, as an APS official, controlled where the grant funding went throughout the school district.
The case centers on a computer learning software called CyberQuest students used to practice math problems. Stapleton put the annual grant towards implementing that software in some APS classrooms. That software company, Robotics Management Learning Systems is owned by a long-time friend of hers, Joseph Johnson. Prosecutors claim Johnson and Stapleton conspired to divert grant funds for personal use, while Johnson’s defense says Stapleton acted alone…