Former Chicago Public Schools chief indicted in bribery scheme

The indicment alleges the companies agreed to hide the kickback money by funneling it into accounts set up in the names of two of Burd-Bennett’s relatives.

Byrd-Bennett has been on paid leave from the Chicago School District since reports of the federal investigation surfaced six months ago.

The indictment alleges that the 66-year-old steered no-bid contracts to the SUPES Academy, which trains principals. “Martin was the $170,000-a-year head of a special network that Byrd-Bennett created at CPS (Chicago Public Schools) to oversee struggling neighborhood schools”.

She resigned from CPS on May 29.

Ex-CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett has been indicted on federal corruption charges that she intends to plead guilty to, according her attorney. Byrd-Bennett, 66, of Solon, Ohio, is charged with 15 counts of mail fraud and five counts of wire fraud in the indictment.

Vranas, 34, of Glenview, Ill., is charged with 15 counts of mail fraud, four counts of wire fraud, two counts of bribery of a government official, and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. SUPES and Synesi are charged as corporate defendants with 15 counts of mail fraud and five counts of wire fraud apiece.

The indictment wants Solomon, Vranas, SUPES and Synesi to forfeit an estimated $2 million in money and property related to the alleged violations.

Solomon left Niles Downtown School District 219 under a cloud in 2001 after he was accused by administrators of “immoral and unprofessional” conduct, including allegations he kissed a female student, covered up students’ drug and alcohol use, and sent “sexually suggestive, predatory” emails to students, court records show. “School officials and city vendors who abuse the public trust will be held accountable”.

U.S. Attorney Zach Fardon is expected to make the announcement at a press conference Thursday afternoon. Our students, parents, teachers and principals deserve better.

By December 2012, CPS’ inspector general was investigating the contract. “My office is committed to rooting out corruption at any level through joint investigations such as this one”.

The former CEO of Chicago Public Schools has been indicted on corruption charges following a federal investigation into a $20 million no-bid contract. 8, 2015, almost four months after she resigned amid an investigation into the contract between the district and SUPES Academy, a training academy where she once worked as a consultant.

Byrd-Bennett also has been a school administrator in Detroit, Cleveland and New York City. Byrd-Bennett had worked as a coach for SUPES prior to joining the Chicago school system. Byrd-Bennett worked as a consultant for the companies before starting at CPS in May 2012.

Byrd-Bennett’s attorney, Michael Scudder, in a statement said his client would plead guilty.

Phone and email messages seeking comment from Byrd-Bennett and the mayor’s office weren’t immediately returned. “If you only join for the day, you will be the highest paid person on the planet for that day”.

Fardon said Byrd-Bennett and others “entered into a scheme to secretly profit from schools”.

Her pay in Cleveland – more than the $250,000 she was making in Chicago – came under heavy criticism. The district for the third largest city in the United States has had to make drastic cuts this year as it faces a deficit of up to $1.1 billion. The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt.