The superintendent of Georgia’s third-largest school district is facing federal charges for allegedly orchestrating a scheme to receive illegal payments and embezzle funds from his former job in a suburban Chicago school district.

A grand jury in Chicago charged Devon Horton, the current superintendent of the 93,000-student DeKalb County school district, with 17 counts, including wire fraud, embezzlement, and tax evasion. The indictment claims the 48-year-old awarded contracts worth over $280,000 to three friends, collecting over $80,000 in illegal payments between 2020 and 2023, while leading the Evanston-Skokie School District 65. This district had 5,800 students in kindergarten through eighth grade last year.

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Alongside Horton, three others were indicted: Antonio Ross, 48, from Chicago; Samuel Ross, 46, from Berwyn, Illinois; and Alfonzo Lewis, 48, from Chicago, as alleged participants in the scheme.

Horton’s attorney, Terry Campbell, stated that Horton “is eager to address his case in court,” arguing that the allegations “are related to past conduct with no connection to his accomplishments in DeKalb County,” highlighting improvements in student attendance, graduation rates, and academic performance in Georgia.

Lawyers for Samuel Ross and Antonio Ross declined to comment. No lawyer was listed for Lewis in court records.

In response, the DeKalb County school board convened an emergency meeting and placed Horton on paid suspension, appointing Norman Sauce, Chief of Student Services, as acting superintendent. Board Chairperson Deirdre Pierce assured that operations “will continue as normal,” with a focus on maintaining a “safe, supportive, and high-quality educational experience for every student.”

The DeKalb County board had extended Horton’s contract to 2028 in July and raised his salary to $360,000 a year.

The indictment details how the four men allegedly set up companies to charge for non-existent services, defrauding both the Evanston-Skokie and Chicago school districts. It states that Horton, through deceitful contracting from Evanston-Skokie, accrued $283,500, and Antonio Ross, then the principal at Hyde Park Academy High School in Chicago, provided Horton with a bogus contract valued at $10,000 for a company under Horton’s control.

Horton tried to hire Antonio Ross after Horton became superintendent in DeKalb County, but Ross declined the job amid questions about the business relationship between the two men. The DeKalb district hired at least four other people whom Horton previously worked with in Illinois or Louisville, Kentucky.

Horton also faces charges that he stole more than $30,000 from the Evanston-Skokie district in 2022 and 2023 by using his district purchasing card to buy personal meals and gift cards and to pay for personal vehicle and travel expenses. Horton is also charged with tax evasion over allegations that he didn’t report the kickbacks and personal purchases on his income tax returns.

Because of the large amount of money allegedly stolen and that fact that Horton was a public official, he could face more than 10 years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines if convicted. Prosecutors are also seeking to have all four men forfeit the money in question.

The leaders of the Evanston-Skokie school board, Sergio Hernandez and Nichole Pinkard, said in a statement that the district “has been aware of the ongoing investigation and has fully supported the process,” keeping it secret at the request of federal authorities.

“We are deeply troubled and angered by these allegations,” they said.