Georgia school chief indicted for alleged kickback scheme in Illinois school district

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ATLANTA (AP) — The superintendent of Georgia's third-largest school district has been indicted on federal charges alleging he ran a kickback scheme and stole money from his previous employer, a smaller school district in suburban Chicago.

A federal grand jury in Chicago on Wednesday indicted Devon Horton, currently superintendent of the 93,000-student DeKalb County school district, on 17 counts including wire fraud, embezzlement and tax evasion. The indictment alleges the 48-year-old Horton issued more than $280,000 in contracts to three friends and received more than $80,000 in kickbacks from 2020 through 2023 while he was superintendent of the Evanston-Skokie school district. That district had 5,800 students in grades K-8 last year.

Indicted 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.

A lawyer for Horton, Terry Campbell, said in a statement that Horton “is eager to address his case in court.” He added that the allegations “relate to conduct that is several years old and have nothing whatsoever to do with his very successful work on behalf of the students, families, and teachers in DeKalb County," citing improved attendance rates, graduation rates and academic achievement in the Georgia district.

Lawyers for Samuel Ross and Antonio Ross declined to comment. No lawyer was listed for Lewis in court records.

The DeKalb County school board held an emergency meeting Thursday and suspended Horton with pay, naming Chief of Student Services Norman Sauce as acting superintendent. Board Chairperson Deirdre Pierce said in a statement that operations will “continue as normal” and that the district remains "focused on providing a safe, supportive, and high-quality educational experience for every student.”

The DeKalb County board had extended Horton's contract to 2028 in July and raised his salary to $360,000 a year.

The indictment alleges that the four men created companies and billed for services they didn't provide in order to bilk money from the Evanston-Skokie and Chicago school districts. In addition to $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 that netted 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 whom Horton previously worked with in Illinois or Louisville, Kentucky.

Horton also faces charges that he stole more than $30,000 from the Evanston-Skokie district in 2022 and 2023 by using his district purchasing card to buy personal meals and gift cards and to pay for personal vehicle and travel expenses. Horton is also charged with tax evasion over allegations that he didn't report the kickbacks and personal purchases on his income tax returns.

Because of the large amount of money allegedly stolen and that 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 seeking to have all four men forfeit the money in question.

The leaders of the Evanston-Skokie school board, Sergio Hernandez and Nichole Pinkard, said in a statement that the district “has been aware of the ongoing investigation and has fully supported the process," keeping it secret at the request of federal authorities.

“We are deeply troubled and angered by these allegations,” they said.