Former Chicago Public Schools chief to plead guilty to bribery scheme
rmer Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett plans to plead guilty to charges she steered no-bid contracts worth more than $23 million to an education consulting firm where she once worked in return for promises of hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks, other perks and a job, federal prosecutors revealed Thursday.
U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon made the disclosure at an afternoon news conference at which he said Byrd-Bennett has been cooperating with investigators.
The 23-count indictment alleges that almost immediately after Mayor Rahm Emanuel installed her as public schools chief in 2012, Byrd-Bennett began scheming with Gary Solomon and Thomas Vranas, co-owners of SUPES Academy, to secure the contracts to train principals and school administrators.
In return, Byrd-Bennett was promised a "signing bonus" of more than $250,000 and a job at SUPES once she stepped down as the public schools CEO, the indictment charges. She also was given meals and tickets to sporting events and expected to be reimbursed for a holiday party she hosted for CPS personnel, according to the charges.
The indictment also alleges that Solomon offered to arrange employment for friends of Byrd-Bennett's.
Solomon and Vranas also were criminally charged, as was their business itself and a subsidiary, Synesi Associates.
The long-awaited indictment comes six months after CPS revealed in mid-April that it had been served federal grand jury subpoenas seeking an array of documents related to the SUPES contract. Soon after Byrd-Bennett took a paid leave of absence, and she resigned in May.
Each of the five defendants was charged with 15 counts of mail fraud and five counts of wire fraud, except for Vranas, who was indicted on one fewer wire fraud count. Solomon, 47, of Wilmette, and Vranas, 34, of Glenview, were also charged with two counts of bribery Former Chicago Public Schools chief to plead guilty to bribery scheme - Chicago Tribune: