Former District 65 Vendors Plead Guilty To Federal Fraud Charges

EVANSTON, IL — Two former vendors for Evanston/Skokie School District 65 pleaded guilty Friday to federal fraud charges and admitted to paying kickbacks to the district’s former superintendent in exchange for help securing contracts.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, Antonio Ross, 49, of Chicago, and Alfonzo Lewis, 49, of Chicago, each pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Prosecutors said the scheme was orchestrated by former District 65 Superintendent Devon Horton, who pleaded guilty earlier this month to wire fraud, embezzlement and tax charges.

Related: Former District 65 Superintendent Changes Plea In Federal Kickback Case: Report

In plea agreements, Antonio Ross and Lewis admitted they paid kickbacks to Horton in exchange for his efforts to steer District 65 contracts to consulting companies they owned. Antonio Ross obtained about $119,500 from District 65 and paid Horton at least $41,900 in cash from the contract proceeds, according to the announcement. Lewis obtained about $24,000 from District 65 and paid Horton at least $6,000 in cash kickbacks from the proceeds of a contract with his company.

The two men also admitted that their companies did not perform some of the services for which they billed the district, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The wire fraud charge each man pleaded guilty to is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin scheduled sentencing for Lewis on Jan. 25, 2027, and for Antonio Ross on March 10, 2027. Horton, 49, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 5, 2027.

Federal prosecutors said Horton admitted receiving kickbacks from Antonio Ross and Lewis, as well as an additional $30,000 in kickbacks from a third school vendor, Samuel Ross. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Samuel Ross’s company obtained $124,500 from District 65 purportedly to provide loss prevention services.

Samuel Ross, 47, of Berwyn, pleaded guilty last month to a wire fraud charge. Judge Durkin has not yet scheduled his sentencing.