East Aurora District 131 board member facing federal charges over fraud, kickback scheme
An East Aurora School District 131 board member and former board president is facing multiple federal charges for orchestrating a bribery and fraud scheme, according to court documents filed Tuesday.
Annette Johnson — then-president of the District 131 Board and current board member serving on the district’s finance and personnel committee — faces wire fraud charges in connection with the alleged plot that occurred between August 2021 and May 2023, according to prosecutors.
A federal grand jury in November 2025 approved the charges. Johnson is set to remain on the board through April 2029, according to the district’s website.
While employed at the district, Johnson was also simultaneously serving as the chief financial officer of a company and two other affiliated companies, none of which are named in the complaint.
Annette Johnson speaks as candidates running for District 131 school board square off during a forum at First Presbyterian Church on Aurora’s east side on Tuesday, April 2, 2013.
Jeff Cagle/For the Sun-Times
Johnson is accused of accepting a $1.3 million payment from one of the companies she worked for in exchange for using her position to push the district to make a $2.7 million purchase of wearable air purifiers from a reselling company.
In the lead-up to the vote, she reportedly set up meetings between the reselling company’s representatives and board members. Johnson later voted for a $201,000 payment for an “extended warranty” for the air purifiers.
The district’s money was pulled from elementary and secondary school emergency relief funds, according to the complaint. Her companies ultimately paid her $7,500 that year, though she didn’t list them on her statement of economic interest filed with Kane County.
Johnson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Neither did District 131 board presidents Juan Sifuentes Jr. and Saul Olivas.
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