A former high-ranking Democratic legislator in New Mexico, Sheryl Williams Stapleton, has pleaded guilty to state charges tied to a fraud scheme involving vocational education funds. Stapleton, who was already convicted in a federal fraud case, changed her plea during a hearing on Friday, three weeks after a federal jury found her guilty of similar charges. State prosecutors had filed charges against her in 2021, including money laundering, racketeering, and other related offenses. She was set to go to trial in October, but under the plea agreement, all but four of the charges were dropped. The agreement calls for a 10 1/2-year prison sentence and more than $1.8 million in restitution. A spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Justice said the guilty plea holds Stapleton accountable for defrauding New Mexico taxpayers and abusing the public trust. The spokesperson added that state prosecutors are pleased that the federal sentencing range will provide a significant period of incarceration beyond what the state system could impose on its own. Stapleton, a former state House majority leader and administrator with Albuquerque Public Schools, was first elected in 1994. She resigned from the House two days after search warrants were served at her home during the summer of 2021, and the school district fired her. In the federal case, prosecutors said that the district paid more than $3 million to Robotics Management Learning Systems LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based company central to both the state and federal cases. Most of that money came from federal funds meant for vocational education programs. As the school district’s career and technical education director, Williams Stapleton ensured money for those programs went to Robotics, which was owned by her friend and federal co-defendant Joseph Johnson. Prosecutors said Stapleton ensured the company’s invoices were processed through the procurement process. Johnson was accused of providing blank checks to Williams Stapleton. During the federal trial, prosecutors also presented evidence that Williams Stapleton and Johnson failed to report thousands of dollars in payments from Robotics on their federal income tax returns. Jurors also convicted Johnson in the federal case. He and Williams Stapleton have yet to be sentenced, and their attorneys previously indicated they would appeal the federal verdicts. An attorney for Williams Stapleton did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on Friday.