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superintendent of GeorgiaThe third-largest school district has been indicted on federal charges alleging he ran a bribery scheme and stole money from his previous employer, a small school district in the suburbs. chicago,
A federal grand jury in Chicago on Wednesday indicted Devon Horton, the current superintendent of the 93,000-student DeKalb County School District, on 17 counts including wire fraud, embezzlement and tax evasion. The indictment alleges that Horton, 48, issued contracts worth more than $280,000 to three friends and received more than $80,000 in bribes from 2020 to 2023 while he was superintendent of the Evanston-Skokie School District. Last year there were 5,800 students in grades K-8 in that district.
Also convicted along with Horton were three other men who prosecutors allege were part of the scheme: Antonio Ross, 48, of Chicago; Samuel Ross, 46, of Berwyn, Illinois; and Alfonzo Lewis, 48, of Chicago.
Horton’s attorney, Terry Campbell, said in a statement that Horton “looks forward to addressing his case in court.” He cited improved attendance rates, graduation rates and academic achievement in the Georgia district, saying the allegations “relate to conduct dating back several years and have nothing to do with his very successful work on behalf of students, families and teachers in DeKalb County.”
lawyers Samuel Ross and Antonio Ross declined to comment. There was no attorney listed for Lewis in court records.
The DeKalb County School Board held an emergency meeting Thursday and suspended Horton with pay while appointing student services chief Norman Sause as acting superintendent. Board chair Deirdre Pierce said in a statement that operations “will continue as normal” and that the district is “focused on providing a safe, supportive and high-quality educational experience for each student.”
The DeKalb County Board in July extended Horton’s contract through 2028 and increased his salary to $360,000 a year.
The indictment alleges that the four men created companies to extort money from the Evanston-Skokie and Chicago school districts and billed them for services they did not provide. In addition to the $283,500 from Evanston-Skokie, the indictment alleges that Antonio Ross, then-principal of Hyde Park Academy High School in Chicago, issued a fraudulent contract to a Horton-controlled company, netting Horton $10,000.
Horton tried to hire Antonio Ross after Horton became superintendent in DeKalb County, but Ross declined the job amid questions about the business relationship between the two men. The DeKalb district hired at least four other people with whom Horton had previously worked. Illinois or louisville, kentucky,
Horton is also accused of stealing more than $30,000 from the Evanston-Skokie district in 2022 and 2023 by using her district purchasing cards to purchase personal meals and gift cards and pay for personal vehicle and travel expenses. Horton has also been charged with tax evasion because he did not report bribes and personal purchases on his income tax returns.
Due to the large amount of money allegedly stolen and the fact that Horton was a public official, he could face more than 10 years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines if convicted. Prosecutors are also demanding that funds belonging to the four men be seized.
Evanston-Skokie School Board leaders Sergio Hernandez and Nicole Pinkard said in a statement that the district is “aware of the ongoing investigation and fully supports the process,” which was kept confidential at the request of federal officials.
“We are deeply troubled and angry by these allegations,” he said.