Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Former Chicago Public Schools chief sentenced for fraud
Source: Reuters
U.S. | Fri Apr 28, 2017 | 7:07pm EDT
Former Chicago Public Schools chief sentenced for fraud
By Timothy Mclaughlin | CHICAGO
A federal judge on Friday sentenced the former chief executive of the Chicago Public Schools to 4-1/2 years in prison for her role in a scheme to steer lucrative contracts to one of her previous employers in exchange for kickbacks and bribes, the Department of Justice said.
Barbara Byrd-Bennett was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang at a Chicago courthouse, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois said in a statement.
An attorney for Byrd-Bennett declined to comment.
"I'm ashamed and I'm sorry. I let down the students and their families. They deserved better," Byrd-Bennett said in court, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2012 appointed Byrd-Bennett, a veteran education reformer, to head the district after the first teachers' strike in Chicago in 25 years. The district serves around 400,000 students in more than 600 schools.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Former Chicago Public Schools chief sentenced for fraud
By Timothy Mclaughlin | CHICAGO
A federal judge on Friday sentenced the former chief executive of the Chicago Public Schools to 4-1/2 years in prison for her role in a scheme to steer lucrative contracts to one of her previous employers in exchange for kickbacks and bribes, the Department of Justice said.
Barbara Byrd-Bennett was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang at a Chicago courthouse, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois said in a statement.
An attorney for Byrd-Bennett declined to comment.
"I'm ashamed and I'm sorry. I let down the students and their families. They deserved better," Byrd-Bennett said in court, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2012 appointed Byrd-Bennett, a veteran education reformer, to head the district after the first teachers' strike in Chicago in 25 years. The district serves around 400,000 students in more than 600 schools.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-chicago-education-fraud-idUSKBN17U31I