Prosecutor: BLACK DEMOCRAT Former Chicago school chief (Rahm Emanuel hire) to plead guilty in corruption case

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CHICAGO -- The former CEO of Chicago Public Schools was indicted
on corruption charges Thursday in an alleged bribery and
kickback scheme to steer $20 million worth of no-bid contracts
to education companies.

Chicago's top federal prosecutor says the former CEO plans to
plead guilty in the corruption case.

Barbara Byrd-Bennett was indicted about four months after she
resigned amid the investigation into the contract was between
the district and SUPES Academy, a training academy where she
once worked as a consultant. She was appointed by Mayor Rahm
Emanuel to lead the nation' third-largest school district in
2012.

Byrd-Bennett, 66, of Solon, Ohio, is charged with 15 counts of
mail fraud and five counts of wire fraud in the indictment. If
convicted, she could face a maximum 20-year prison sentence on
each count.

Phone and email messages seeking comment from Byrd-Bennett and
the mayor's office weren't immediately returned. A school
district spokeswoman didn't immediately have comment.

The indictment comes at a critical time for the district, which
faces a severe budget shortfall and a severely underfunded
pension system. Contract negotiations with the powerful Chicago
Teachers Union have been tense: Teachers went on strike for the
first time in 25 years during the last round of negotiations.

Byrd-Bennett, a longtime educator, took a paid leave of absence
in April following reports that federal investigators were
looking into the contract. The academy, which trains principals,
turned over records to investigators, who also asked for
documents from Byrd-Bennett and other employees. CPS suspended
its contract with SUPES and confirmed it had been subpoenaed.

A federal investigation followed a tough re-election bid for
Emanuel, who spent much of his time on the campaign trail
defending his decision to close numerous schools and to choose
Byrd-Bennett to lead the district of about 400,000 students. Her
annual salary was $250,000.

Among the most scrutinized moves was a 2013 push to close dozens
of neighborhood schools. During the campaign, Emanuel said it
was a tough, but necessary decision to improve school
achievement, and that he was proud of his choice of Byrd-Bennett.

SUPES Academy and a related company also in the Chicago suburbs,
Synesi Associates LLC, are also named in the indictment, as are
their respective owners, Gary Soloman and Thomas Vranas. Both
men are charged with bribery and conspiracy to defraud, along
with mail and wire fraud.

Soloman's attorney released a statement saying Soloman and his
companies have cooperated with investigators. The statement said
Soloman was aware that the charges would be announced Thursday
and that he's disappointed with the government's decision to
charge him.

Phones messages seeking comment from Vranas and his attorney
weren't immediately returned.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-chicago-public-schools-leader-
charged-with-corruption/