Federal fraud, bribery charges filed against East Aurora school board member

Federal charges were filed Tuesday against East Aurora District 131 board member Annette Johnson, alleging she took a $1.3 million payment from a company she worked for so the district would buy its wearable air purifiers for $2.7 million, according to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.The indictment alleges that she engaged in the scheme from August 2021 to May 2023, using money set aside for COVID relief, and that she hid her connection.Johnson was board president then, a member of the district’s Finance and Personnel Committee, and chief financial officer of one company and was affiliated with two others connected to the air purifiers, the indictment alleged. Johnson also allegedly hid her involvement in the transaction and her connection to the company, according to the charging documents.In furtherance of the scheme, in May 2023, Johnson set up meetings to promote an additional $201,077 payment to the air purifier company for annual services, according