Former Aurora School Board President Charged With Fraud in $1.3 Million Kickback Scheme

The former president of a west suburban school board is accused of a vast fraud scheme after reportedly accepting a $1.3 million payment in exchange for influencing board votes on an air purifier contract.

Annette Johnson, a current and former president of the East Aurora School District 131 Board of Education, is charged with federal fraud for allegedly orchestrating the bribery conspiracy.

According to a 14-page indictment, Johnson is accused of attempting to lead the district toward a $2.7 million contract to acquire wearable air purifiers in September 2021.

Prosecutors claim Johnson accepted a $1.3 million payment from a reseller in exchange for using her position as board president to promote that company by pressuring her colleagues to approve the $2.7 million contract.

Johnson allegedly arranged meetings for the company with district authorities and was given bullet points on air purifiers to utilize in order to persuade her fellow board members.

According to the indictment, Johnson spoke in support of the transaction and voted to approve the contract at the board’s September 2021 meeting without disclosing her “personal and economic interest in the sale.”

That contract was approved, and two months later, the school paid the corporation $2.7 million with federal COVID-19 relief funds, according to the indictment.

According to the indictment, Johnson received the $1.3 million payment, described as a “commission,” days later.

According to the indictment, Johnson later lobbied for approval of a $201,077 payment to the air purifier manufacturer in 2023 for a “extended warranty” on the purifiers.

East Aurora School District 131 officials confirmed on Wednesday that they were aware of the indictment and the “serious allegations” contained within it.

“While the allegations made against Ms. Johnson are incredibly serious and concerning, Ms. Johnson, like all other defendants, is entitled to a presumption of innocence,” district Supt. Robert Halverson and the board said in a statement, while adding that the indictment does not name any other board member or district employee as a defendant. “Our teachers, administrators and staff remain focused on educating, supporting and serving our students each day.”