Last Two Vendors Plead Guilty in Evanston/Skokie District 65 Kickback Case, Leaving No One to Try
Antonio Ross and Alfonzo Lewis pleaded guilty to paying cash kickbacks to former District 65 Superintendent Devon Horton, days before trial was set to begin.
The last two defendants in the federal kickback case involving Evanston/Skokie School District 65 pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, admitting that they paid cash to the district’s former superintendent in exchange for contracts, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago said.
With those pleas, all four people charged in the case have now admitted guilt. A three-week jury trial had been scheduled to begin on Oct. 21, 2026, according to the federal docket.
What the two vendors admitted
Antonio Ross, 49, and Alfonzo Lewis, 49, both of Chicago, each pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. In their plea agreements, they admitted paying kickbacks to then-Superintendent Devon Horton in return for his efforts to steer district contracts to consulting companies they owned, prosecutors said.
- Antonio Ross: His company was paid about $119,500 by District 65, and he paid Horton at least $41,900 in cash from the contract money.
- Alfonzo Lewis: His company was paid about $24,000, and he paid Horton at least $6,000 in cash.
Both admitted that their companies did not perform some of the services they billed the district for, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The superintendent and the third vendor
Horton, 49, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, pleaded guilty earlier in October 2026 to wire fraud, embezzlement and tax charges, prosecutors said. He admitted taking the kickbacks from Antonio Ross and Lewis, plus another $30,000 from a third vendor, Samuel Ross, whose company was paid $124,500 by District 65 for what was described as loss prevention services.
Samuel Ross, 47, of Berwyn, Illinois, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in September 2026.
After leaving District 65, Horton became superintendent of the DeKalb County School District in Georgia, and he was placed on leave there after the October 2025 indictment, FOX 5 Atlanta and Atlanta News First reported.
Sentencing dates
- Devon Horton: Jan. 5, 2027
- Alfonzo Lewis: Jan. 25, 2027
- Antonio Ross: March 10, 2027
- Samuel Ross: not yet scheduled
All four will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin. Wire fraud carries up to 20 years in federal prison. The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General, the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation, with help from the Chicago Public Schools Office of Inspector General.
