By SNN Newsroom | October 14, 2026
Two former vendors of Evanston/Skokie School District 65 pleaded guilty to federal wire-fraud charges on October 13 and admitted paying kickbacks to the district’s former superintendent in exchange for assistance obtaining contracts, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.
In plea agreements, Antonio Ross and Alfonzo Lewis admitted making payments to former superintendent Devon Horton. Federal prosecutors said Ross’s business received approximately $119,500 from the district and paid Horton at least $41,900 in cash. Lewis’s business received approximately $24,000 and paid Horton at least $6,000. Both admitted their businesses failed to perform some services for which the district had been invoiced.
The guilty pleas are admissions made in court, not merely allegations in an indictment. Prosecutors separately announced that Horton pleaded guilty earlier in October, while another former vendor, Samuel Ross, pleaded guilty in September.
As of the October 13 announcement, the judge had scheduled sentencings for Horton on January 5, 2027, Lewis on January 25, and Antonio Ross on March 10. Samuel Ross’s sentencing date had not yet been set. The potential sentences will be determined by the court, and the scheduled dates may change.
The case concerns the handling of public school contracts and spending. SNN will review any subsequent judgments or public records that further establish the financial impact on the district.
Primary source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Illinois, October 13.
