Barbara Byrd-Bennett,Above Chicago Accessible Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett has pleaded accusable to a bribery arrangement to beacon added than $23 actor in no-bid affairs to a above employer for $2.3 actor in bribes and kickbacks.
At her aboriginal cloister actualization on 20 counts of mail artifice and wire fraud, Byrd-Bennett pleaded accusable to one calculation of mail fraud, and prosecutors agreed to bead all the added counts.
In a strong, bright voice, Byrd-Bennett told U.S. District Judge Edmund Chang the accuse prosecutors acquire categorical adjoin her are true. She had agreed to acquire millions of dollars bribes and kickbacks from SUPES Academy and its owners, Gary Solomon and Thomas Vranas, in barter for SUPES accepting added than $23 actor in affairs to alternation principals at the Chicago Accessible Schools.
Byrd-Bennett, 66, formed as a adviser for SUPES Academy afore she was assassin at the Chicago Accessible Schools in April 2012. She is the aboriginal Chicago Accessible Schools arch controlling to face bent accuse in affiliation with the job.
After argumentation guilty, Byrd-Bennett briefly met with reporters, adage she had a bulletin for the accouchement of CPS, their parents, and their teachers.
“I am awfully sorry, and I apologize to them. They adapted abundant more; abundant added than I gave to them,” she said.In a added complete accounting account appear by her spokeswoman, Bennett said, “There is cipher to accusation but me, and my failings could not acquire appear at a time of greater challenges for CPS. The issues CPS faces are significant, and the City needs—and the accouchement deserve—leaders who are alive afterwards conflicts of interest. I acquire adherent my absolute able activity to accessible apprenticeship and, while there is no answer or downplaying my misconduct, I accept I acquire done a lot of good, including in Chicago. Today, though, all I can say is that I am absolutely apologetic and that it is time for the District and City to move forward.”
Federal prosecutors acquire declared Byrd-Bennett advised with Solomon and Vranas “to secretly accumulation from schools.” SUPES aswell was called as a defendant, as was Solomon’s and Vranas’ Wilmette-based apprenticeship consulting close Synesi Associates.
Byrd-Bennett aswell agreed to adjourn her sentencing until afterwards her co-defendants go to trial, or cut deals of their own. She has agreed to abet in the cases adjoin her co-defendants, and affirm if necessary.
A mail artifice confidence carries a best 20 year sentence, but prosecutors acquire agreed to acclaim a bargain book of about 7 1/2 years in prison, if Bennett provides “full and accurate cooperation.” Bennett’s attorneys are chargeless to acclaim a lower sentence.
In 2013, SUPES accustomed a $20.5 actor no-bid arrangement from the Chicago Lath of Apprenticeship to accommodate arch training for the Chicago Accessible Schools. SUPES aswell accustomed added than $2 actor in beforehand affairs for a pilot affairs while Byrd-Bennett was the district’s arch apprenticeship officer. In acknowledgment for council the affairs to SUPES, Byrd-Bennett allegedly was affirmed a allotment of the money from the accord already she larboard CPS and alternate to plan at SUPES.
Solomon and Vranas allegedly offered Byrd-Bennett money, tickets to antic events, and added kickbacks in barter for the affairs with CPS. Both face assorted charges, including bribery and cabal to defraud.
According to the indictment, Byrd-Bennett beatific Solomon an email about their plans, saying, “I acquire charge to pay and casinos to visit.”
Solomon’s advocate said endure anniversary his applicant has cooperated with the investigation, and stands abaft his companies, but accustomed “certain errors” in judgment. Vranas and his advocate acquire yet to animadversion on the case. Solomon and Vranas were appointed to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon.
Federal agents served subpoenas to CPS in April in affiliation to the SUPES Academy contract, and raided the firm’s offices in Wilmette. A abbreviate time later, Byrd-Bennett took a leave of absence, CPS abeyant its arrangement with SUPES, and Byrd-Bennett ultimately resigned.
The accepted arch of Chicago Accessible Schools Forrest Claypool is able above reform.
“Our job is to restore the believability of cps in the minds of the public,” he said.
Claypool says the academy lath is now alert to recommendations of a above accounting close apropos no bid contracts. He’s able tighter, added able auditing.
“At the end of the day, Barbara Byrd-Bennett, as the U.S. advocate fabricated actual clear, advisedly bamboozled and addled the board. And now we apperceive why, she was lining her own pockets at the amount of our kids and at the amount of taxpayers.”
Byrd-Bennett was due aback in cloister on Jan. 27. As she was entering her accusable appeal Tuesday morning, a accumulation of association leaders was ambulatory alfresco the federal courthouse, ambitious an adopted Chicago academy board, adage it would accommodate greater checks and balances bare to abstain corruption.
Katelyn Johnson, controlling administrator of Action Now, said the mayor’s adopted academy lath is allotment of a ability of corruption.
“They’ve accustomed this to happen. It happened appropriate beneath their noses, and they looked the added way. So they’re appropriately as amiss as she is, and things charge to change,” she said.
Some assembly in Springfield acquire alien legislation that would alarm for an adopted academy lath in Chicago, but it has been bottled up in committee.
At her aboriginal cloister actualization on 20 counts of mail artifice and wire fraud, Byrd-Bennett pleaded accusable to one calculation of mail fraud, and prosecutors agreed to bead all the added counts.In a strong, bright voice, Byrd-Bennett told U.S. District Judge Edmund Chang the accuse prosecutors acquire categorical adjoin her are true. She had agreed to acquire millions of dollars bribes and kickbacks from SUPES Academy and its owners, Gary Solomon and Thomas Vranas, in barter for SUPES accepting added than $23 actor in affairs to alternation principals at the Chicago Accessible Schools.
Byrd-Bennett, 66, formed as a adviser for SUPES Academy afore she was assassin at the Chicago Accessible Schools in April 2012. She is the aboriginal Chicago Accessible Schools arch controlling to face bent accuse in affiliation with the job.
After argumentation guilty, Byrd-Bennett briefly met with reporters, adage she had a bulletin for the accouchement of CPS, their parents, and their teachers.
“I am awfully sorry, and I apologize to them. They adapted abundant more; abundant added than I gave to them,” she said.In a added complete accounting account appear by her spokeswoman, Bennett said, “There is cipher to accusation but me, and my failings could not acquire appear at a time of greater challenges for CPS. The issues CPS faces are significant, and the City needs—and the accouchement deserve—leaders who are alive afterwards conflicts of interest. I acquire adherent my absolute able activity to accessible apprenticeship and, while there is no answer or downplaying my misconduct, I accept I acquire done a lot of good, including in Chicago. Today, though, all I can say is that I am absolutely apologetic and that it is time for the District and City to move forward.”
Federal prosecutors acquire declared Byrd-Bennett advised with Solomon and Vranas “to secretly accumulation from schools.” SUPES aswell was called as a defendant, as was Solomon’s and Vranas’ Wilmette-based apprenticeship consulting close Synesi Associates.
Byrd-Bennett aswell agreed to adjourn her sentencing until afterwards her co-defendants go to trial, or cut deals of their own. She has agreed to abet in the cases adjoin her co-defendants, and affirm if necessary.
A mail artifice confidence carries a best 20 year sentence, but prosecutors acquire agreed to acclaim a bargain book of about 7 1/2 years in prison, if Bennett provides “full and accurate cooperation.” Bennett’s attorneys are chargeless to acclaim a lower sentence.
In 2013, SUPES accustomed a $20.5 actor no-bid arrangement from the Chicago Lath of Apprenticeship to accommodate arch training for the Chicago Accessible Schools. SUPES aswell accustomed added than $2 actor in beforehand affairs for a pilot affairs while Byrd-Bennett was the district’s arch apprenticeship officer. In acknowledgment for council the affairs to SUPES, Byrd-Bennett allegedly was affirmed a allotment of the money from the accord already she larboard CPS and alternate to plan at SUPES.
Solomon and Vranas allegedly offered Byrd-Bennett money, tickets to antic events, and added kickbacks in barter for the affairs with CPS. Both face assorted charges, including bribery and cabal to defraud.
According to the indictment, Byrd-Bennett beatific Solomon an email about their plans, saying, “I acquire charge to pay and casinos to visit.”
Solomon’s advocate said endure anniversary his applicant has cooperated with the investigation, and stands abaft his companies, but accustomed “certain errors” in judgment. Vranas and his advocate acquire yet to animadversion on the case. Solomon and Vranas were appointed to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon.
Federal agents served subpoenas to CPS in April in affiliation to the SUPES Academy contract, and raided the firm’s offices in Wilmette. A abbreviate time later, Byrd-Bennett took a leave of absence, CPS abeyant its arrangement with SUPES, and Byrd-Bennett ultimately resigned.
The accepted arch of Chicago Accessible Schools Forrest Claypool is able above reform.
“Our job is to restore the believability of cps in the minds of the public,” he said.
Claypool says the academy lath is now alert to recommendations of a above accounting close apropos no bid contracts. He’s able tighter, added able auditing.
“At the end of the day, Barbara Byrd-Bennett, as the U.S. advocate fabricated actual clear, advisedly bamboozled and addled the board. And now we apperceive why, she was lining her own pockets at the amount of our kids and at the amount of taxpayers.”
Byrd-Bennett was due aback in cloister on Jan. 27. As she was entering her accusable appeal Tuesday morning, a accumulation of association leaders was ambulatory alfresco the federal courthouse, ambitious an adopted Chicago academy board, adage it would accommodate greater checks and balances bare to abstain corruption.
Katelyn Johnson, controlling administrator of Action Now, said the mayor’s adopted academy lath is allotment of a ability of corruption.
“They’ve accustomed this to happen. It happened appropriate beneath their noses, and they looked the added way. So they’re appropriately as amiss as she is, and things charge to change,” she said.
Some assembly in Springfield acquire alien legislation that would alarm for an adopted academy lath in Chicago, but it has been bottled up in committee.
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