Ex-Chicago Schools Chief Indicted In Bribery, Kickback Scheme
CHICAGO — The former head of a nation’s third-largest propagandize district was indicted on sovereign rascal charges Thursday that credit her of holding bribes and kickbacks for steering some-more than $23 million in no-bid contracts to a former employer.Â
Barbara Byrd-Bennett, 66, a former Chicago Public Schools CEO and superintendent, was charged with 15 depends of mail rascal and 5 depends of handle fraud. She was auxiliary with prosecutors and has concluded to beg guilty, U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon pronounced during a press briefing.
Fardon pronounced Byrd-Bennett abused her position “to line her possess pockets and those of her co-defendants.” The complaint says a intrigue netted Byrd-Bennett and her dual co-defendants about $2 million in money and other valuables, that prosecutors will find to recover.
Byrd-Bennett helped her former employer, an educational training and consulting collective, secure remunerative no-bid contracts for city schools, according to a indictment. In exchange, Byrd-Bennett perceived hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks, that a collective disguised by funneling them into bank accounts set adult underneath a names of Byrd-Bennett’s relatives, a complaint alleges.
The educational common lavished a former schools arch with perks, including meals, transport and sports tickets, and betrothed her another pursuit with some-more kickbacks sheltered as a signing reward after she stepped down from from a superintendent’s post, a complaint says.Â
Byrd-Bennett resigned in Jun federal probe. Â
“As partial of usurpation full shortcoming for her conduct, she will continue to concur with a government, including testifying truthfully if called on to do so,” Scudder pronounced in a statement.
Also indicted were Gary Solomon, 47, and Tom Vranas, 34. The group co-owned and operated a suburban Chicago SUPES Academy and Synesi Associates. SUPES Academy supposing training and veteran growth for principals and other propagandize administrators. Synesi offering educational consulting, opening research and turnaround programs.Â
The 43-page complaint alleges Byrd-Bennet her co-defendants began shaping roughly immediately after she was hired for Chicago’s tip schools spot in 2012.Â
“Graft and crime in a city’s open propagandize complement tears during a fabric of a critical apparatus for a children of Chicago,†Fardon said in a statement. “School officials and city vendors who abuse a open trust will be hold accountable.â€
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who hand-picked
“Our students, parents, teachers and principals merit better,” Emanuel said in statement.
The employing of Byrd-Bennett, who had years of experience as an teacher and director underneath her belt, was primarily hailed as a carefree concede between City Hall and a teacher’s union. Some of her predecessors had small knowledge in education.Â
If convicted, Byrd-Bennett faces up to 20 years in prison, imperative restitution, and a limit excellent of $250,000 for any count of mail and handle fraud.Â