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# Former New Mexico lawmaker pleads guilty to diverting public school funds Former New Mexico state lawmaker Sheryl Williams Stapleton pleaded guilty Friday to diverting public school funds, three weeks after a federal jury convicted her of dozens of similar charges in a yearslong scheme. The plea came during a hearing just before she was set to go to trial on state charges in October. Stapleton, a former House majority leader and Albuquerque Public Schools administrator, was first elected in 1994. Prosecutors said the district paid more than $3 million to a company owned by her friend and co-defendant, mostly from federal vocational-education funds. Under the plea agreement, all but four charges were dropped, with a sentence of 10 1/2 years and more than $1.8 million in restitution. "Today's guilty plea holds Sheryl Williams Stapleton accountable for defrauding New Mexico taxpayers," a state Justice Department spokesperson said. 🔗 Read more: https://afn.net/ap/legal/former-new-mexico-lawmaker-pleads-guilty-to-diverting-public-school-funds