House Majority Leader Sheryl Williams Stapleton resigned as a legislator on July 30 amid allegations of racketeering, money laundering, and receiving illegal kickbacks, Fox News reports.
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas began investigating Williams-Stapleton after receiving a letter from Albuquerque Public School (APS) Superintendent Scott Elder stating that Williams Stapleton might have violated the Governmental Conduct Act and Procurement Code, according to KOAT7.
“There are some red flags with the bookkeeping for a company linked to a very powerful lawmaker — Cheryl Williams Stapleton,” Elder wrote at the time.
Sheryl Williams Stapleton
| sherylwilliamsstapleton.org
Williams Stapleton cited the time and energy she required for her defense against the allegations as the reason for her resignation.
"This is a decision that weighs heavily on me, and which I have made after a tremendous amount of consideration of the best interest of the people," she wrote, according to Fox News.
Williams Stapleton works as the coordinator and director of Career and Technical Education (CTE) for APS. She is currently on administrative leave, Elder said. “APS will treat Ms. Williams Stapleton fairly, honor her due process rights, and make a final decision based on the available evidence,” he added.
Williams Stapleton represents District 19. She was the longest-serving Democratic member of the New Mexico House of Representatives.
The former legislator has not been charged with any crimes and remains free.