East Aurora District 131 board member denies allegations of kickback scheme following federal charges

An East Aurora School District member facing federal charges for an alleged kickback scheme has denied the allegations in her first public statement since the grand jury indictment dropped last week.

Johnson, the former board president who signed the statement as a member of East Aurora School District 131, maintained her innocence and said she intended to “vigorously defend myself through the judicial process.”

“I recognize the gravity of these allegations, and I do not take the concerns of our residents, parents, or taxpayers lightly,” Johnson said in a statement Monday. “I take these allegations seriously, but I will not allow them to define me or erase the years of service and commitment I have devoted to this community.”

According to a grand jury indictment released last week, Johnson is charged with two counts of honest services mail fraud and one count of honest services wire fraud after allegedly using her position as board president to push the district to buy $2.7 million in wearable air purifiers in 2021 in exchange for a $1.3 million payment to a company that Johnson helped lead.

Johnson was allegedly paid $7,500 that year by a company involved in the dealing, though she didn’t list it on her statement of economic interest filed with Kane County, according to the indictment.

The next day, Aurora mayor John Laesch said a whistleblower approached him in 2024 to report that Johnson purportedly had ties to eight companies, which made $43.1 million from the school district between 2018 and 2023, according to district records provided by Laesch. He called for Johnson's resignation in a statement released that day.

Johnson’s economic conflicts were left blank for 13 years, until 2025, when she listed the Elk Grove-based DJ Payne Corporation, according to filings with Kane County.

Months earlier, her candidacy was challenged by an Aurora resident who alleged she worked for DJ Payne and other companies, at least one of which did business with the school district when she was board president. The board dropped the issue after deciding it didn’t have the authority to challenge the validity of her economic statements.

In 2025, a year after the ruling, Johnson listed DJ Payne for the first time in her economic interest statement. The company’s website still lists Johnson as part of its sales team.

The school district said in a statement it was aware of the allegations and working with investigators, but wouldn't comment on her position on the board.

Johnson is set to serve on the board through April 2029, per the district’s website. She is due in court on the charges Nov. 9, according to court filings.