Antonio Ross and Alfonzo Lewis, the last two co-defendants in the federal kickback case against former Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Superintendent Devon Horton, pleaded guilty Tuesday, Oct. 13, to wire fraud charges.

The pleas canceled a trial set to begin Wednesday, Oct. 21, in Chicago's federal courthouse. All four men charged in the scheme have now admitted guilt.

Ross, 49, of Chicago, admitted he obtained approximately $119,500 from District 65 through contracts with his consulting company. He paid Horton at least $41,900 in cash kickbacks, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois. Lewis, 49, also of Chicago, obtained approximately $24,000 from the district and paid Horton at least $6,000 in kickbacks from a contract with his company, prosecutors said.

Both men admitted their companies did not perform some of the services they invoiced the district for.

Some of Ross's payments to Horton were routed through an unnamed sibling of Horton's via Zelle, Evanston Now reported.

Sentencing ahead

U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin scheduled sentencing for Lewis on Jan. 25, 2027, and for Ross on March 10, 2027. Each faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine on the wire fraud charge.

Prosecutors preliminarily recommended 37 to 46 months in prison for Ross and 24 to 30 months for Lewis, according to Evanston Now.

Horton pleaded guilty Oct. 5 to wire fraud, embezzlement and tax evasion. He faces sentencing before Judge Durkin on Jan. 5, 2027. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Vermylen said at Horton's Oct. 5 plea that he could face 87 to 108 months in prison if the court finds he accepted responsibility. Without that finding, the range rises to 121 to 151 months, the Evanston Roundtable reported.

The fourth defendant, Samuel Ross, 47, of Berwyn, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in September. His sentencing date had not been set as of Tuesday.

The full scheme

Horton's plea agreement showed the three co-defendants obtained a combined $283,500 from District 65 and paid Horton at least $81,700 in kickbacks. Horton steered district contracts to companies his co-defendants owned while concealing his personal connections to those firms. District 65 board policy requires superintendents to disclose contracts exceeding $25,000. Horton did not.

Horton also admitted to using his district purchasing card for roughly $30,800 in personal expenses across 2022 and 2023. He failed to report kickback income on his tax returns, causing a federal tax loss of approximately $31,513.

In an Oct. 6 statement responding to Horton's plea, District 65 communications director Melissa Messinger called his actions a profound betrayal of his responsibilities as superintendent and of the students, families, staff and community he was entrusted to serve.

What's still pending

District 65 sued Horton and his sister, Latrice McFarland-Madkins, in Cook County Circuit Court in March for alleged breach of contract and unjust enrichment. The district is seeking over $13,000 from Horton and $14,000 from McFarland-Madkins. A hearing before Judge Michael Zink is scheduled for Nov. 13.

The district also commissioned a forensic audit covering financial transactions from July 2020 through June 2024. The audit was completed roughly two weeks before Oct. 6, according to the Evanston Roundtable, but its findings have not been made public.

Three defendants have sentencing dates scheduled in early 2027; Samuel Ross’s sentencing remains unscheduled.