Former Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Superintendent Devon Horton pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in federal court Thursday for his role in what prosecutors describe as a kickback scheme in which he, as the district’s chief, hired others who paid him $81,000 in kickbacks, as well as other money.
Horton, who led D65 from 2019 to 2023, was arraigned at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse along with two of his “friends,” who were paid by the school district for little work actually done, according to a federal indictment released Oct. 9. Alfonzo Lewis, the athletic director for Hyde Park Academy, and Samuel Ross, a Berwyn man, also pleaded not guilty.
A fourth “friend,” Antonio Ross, the former principal for CPS’ Hyde Park Academy, has his arraignment scheduled for next week at Dirksen. Antonio Ross and Samuel Ross are not related.
The 17 counts against Horton carry a maximum prison sentence of 290 years, according to Pioneer Press calculations after Assistant U.S. Attorney Prashant Kolluri presented information in court.
At the arraignment, Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Gilbert approved “extreme good behavior release(s)” for Horton, Lewis and Samuel Ross. The three will remain free in the pretrial period, as the judge did not detain them in custody. They voluntarily gave up their passports, firearm owner’s identification cards and firearms. The three must abide by all laws — local, state and federal — to avoid invalidating their conditional release.
Judge Gilbert also ordered Horton not to contact 17 individuals who were not named in open court. Then he granted leniency for Horton to contact one of the people on that list, a “relatively minor witness,” as characterized by the U.S. attorney’s office, so long as they not talk about the case.
After the arraignment, Horton and Lewis declined to comment to Pioneer Press. Samuel Ross could not be reached for comment.
Horton faces 13 counts of wire fraud, plus two for embezzlement and two for tax evasion. Federal prosecutors also said that Horton spent nearly $30,000 on unauthorized purchases on the school district’s credit card for personal uses. If convicted, Horton will need to pay that money back.
Samuel Ross and Alfonzo Lewis face four counts of wire fraud. The federal government is seeking restitution of $283,500 for the school district from the four defendants.
The maximum penalty for wire fraud, according to the U.S. attorney’s office, is 20 years in prison per count. The crime includes a $250,000 fine, or double the amount of money involved, whichever is higher, three years of supervised release and restitution. The embezzlement charges carry a 10-year penalty per count, with the same fines, restitution and supervised release.
The tax evasion charges carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and for the defendant to pay the costs of the government’s court fees.
District 65 has been in severe financial straits after Horton left in 2023 to lead the DeKalb County School District in suburban Atlanta.
District 65 parents and community members have expressed disappointment and anger at the district’s plans to close up to four schools, in addition to the previously scheduled closing of magnet K-8 Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies, at the end of this school year. The measures would help the district mitigate a multimillion-dollar deficit.
The DeKalb County, Georgia, school district placed Horton on paid administrative leave and appointed an acting superintendent to fill his role the day the indictment was released. Horton resigned last week from his position with the Georgia school district.
In a fiery special school board meeting on Oct. 14, Sergio Hernandez, one of the few board members to have been on the board while Horton led the school district, relinquished his position as board president but opted to remain on the board as a member.
The D65 Board of Education released a letter to the community Oct. 10 regarding Horton’s indictment.
“The Board places significant trust in its superintendent to act with honesty and in the best interest of students. If proven, it is unconscionable that anyone who is charged with serving in the best interest of students and taxpayers would engage in this level of egregious misconduct,” Hernandez and current Vice President Nichole Pinkard wrote in the letter.
According to the letter, the U.S. Department of Education issued its first subpoena to the school district in July 2023, weeks after Horton left the the district’s top job. For two years, the district and Board of Education complied with the federal government and kept the investigation confidential.
The letter said no current or former board members, district administrators, or other employees are criminally implicated in the kickback scheme matter or were ever subjects of the investigation. According to the letter, no district employees or board members had any knowledge of the scheme.
Horton’s attorney released a statement the day the indictment was released defending his client’s character and job performance.
“In his prior position as Superintendent of Evanston District 65 schools, Dr. Horton tackled head-on a number of tough issues often under difficult circumstances, including having threats of violence made against him and his family during his tenure in Evanston,” the statement said. “… Dr. Horton is eager to address his case in court so he can return his focus to bettering the lives and education of children, which has been his passion throughout his professional career.”
Horton, Samuel Ross and Lewis have their next status hearing at Dirksen scheduled for Dec. 4 at 9 a.m. with Judge Thomas Durkin.
