Ex-CPS chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett pleads guilty, tearfully apologizes to students
PDF: Barbara Byrd-Bennett plea agreement
Former Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett faces up to about 7 1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to steering multimillion-dollar no-bid contracts to an education consulting firm in exchange for the promise of lucrative kickbacks and other perks.
After pleading guilty to a single count of wire fraud, Byrd-Bennett stopped briefly to talk as she left the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago. With tears in her eyes, she said she had a message for the schoolchildren and their families.
"I am terribly sorry, and I apologize to them. They deserve much more, much more than I gave to them," she said.
Byrd-Bennett, 66, then left without taking questions from a crowd of reporters.
She is cooperating with prosecutors and has agreed to postpone her sentencing until after the charges against her co-defendants have been resolved.
According to her 22-page plea agreement, prosecutors have agreed to seek a sentence of about 7 1/2 years in prison — below the 11 to 14 years in prison called for under federal sentencing guidelines — in exchange for her cooperation.
Earlier in court, Byrd-Bennett stood at a lectern with her hands folded in front of her as she answered a series of questions from U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang about her background and her desire to plead guiltyEx-CPS chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett pleads guilty, tearfully apologizes to students - Chicago Tribune: