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Two former vendors of Evanston/Skokie School District 65 pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges today and admitted their roles in a kickback scheme orchestrated by the District’s former Superintendent. Antonio Ross and Alfonzo Lewis admitted in plea agreements that they paid kickbacks to District 65’s then-Superintendent, Devon Horton, in exchange for Horton’s efforts to steer District 65 contracts to consulting companies that Antonio Ross and Lewis owned.  Antonio Ross obtained approximately $119,500 from District 65 and paid Horton at least $41,900 in cash from the proceeds of the contracts with his company.  Lewis obtained approximately $24,000 from District 65 and paid Horton at least $6,000 in cash kickbacks from the proceeds of a contract with his company.  Antonio Ross and Lewis admitted that their companies did not perform some of the services for which they invoiced the District.

Antonio Ross, 49, of Chicago, and Lewis, 49, of Chicago, each pleaded guilty to a federal wire fraud charge, which is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin scheduled sentencing for Lewis on Jan. 25, 2027, and for Antonio Ross on March 10, 2027. The guilty pleas were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Scott Wingle, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General’s Central Regional Office; Ryan Whalen, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Marta Grijalva, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago. 

Substantial assistance was provided by Chicago Public Schools Office of Inspector General.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily C.R. Vermylen, Elie Zenner, and Morris Pasqual. Horton, 49, of Stone Mountain, Ga., pleaded guilty earlier this month to wire fraud, embezzlement, and tax charges.  Horton admitted receiving the kickbacks from Antonio Ross and Lewis, as well as an additional $30,000 in kickbacks from a third school vendor, SAMUEL ROSS, whose company obtained $124,500 from District 65 purportedly to provide loss prevention services.  Judge Durkin scheduled Horton’s sentencing for Jan. 5, 2027. Samuel Ross, 47, of Berwyn, Ill., pleaded guilty last month to a wire fraud charge.  Judge Durkin has not yet scheduled Samuel Ross’s sentencing.

Democratic nominee Patty García announced the endorsement of Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia, adding another prominent voice to the broad coalition of labor, community, and elected leaders rallying behind García’s campaign. Valencia, one of Chicago’s most prominent Latina public officials who has built her tenure as Clerk around expanding access to city services for lower-income residents, said García’s record of on-the-ground service makes her the right choice for the district.

“Patty García has spent her career fighting for families on the Southwest Side, and I’ve seen firsthand that she gets results,” said Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia. “From standing up for immigrant families to advocating for working people, Patty knows this district because she grew up here and has dedicated her life to serving its residents. At a time when our communities are under attack, we need a leader in Congress who will never back down. That’s why I’m proud to endorse Patty García for Congress.” Valencia’s endorsement comes as García builds momentum heading into November 3. García has earned the support from leaders including Jesús ‘Chuy’ García, Delia Ramirez, Juliana Stratton, Alexi Giannoulias, Toni Preckwinkle, alongside major organizations such as the Illinois AFL-CIO, Our Revolution, Chicago Federation of Labor, and SEIU Illinois State Council.

“I’m honored to have Anna Valencia’s endorsement,” said Patty García. “Every week, support for our campaign grows because people know what’s at stake in this election. In these final weeks, we’re going to keep knocking on doors and make sure every voter in this district knows that we’re fighting to lower costs, pass Medicare for All, abolish ICE, and stand up for immigrant families.”

By The Cook County Treasurer

Property owners unable to pay their tax bills in full by the Oct. 1 due date should look at our free online financial planning tool that helps you make smaller, more manageable payments over time. It’s called the Payment Plan Calculator and it became available after the due date, at cookcountytreasurer.com. The calculator lets you:

• Set up a schedule to pay off a tax bill in smaller increments instead of all at once.

• Choose between making payments once or twice a month.

• Create a personalized plan for catching up on delinquent taxes if you owe more than $100.

And you don’t have to wait to sign up. You can register now at cookcountytreasurer.com. Just click on the purple box. Enter your PIN or your property address and hit “continue.” Then scroll down until you see the Payment Plan Calculator next to the Pay Now button. Click it and a page will appear asking you to type your name and email. After you enter your information, you’ll receive an emailed reminder from the Cook County Treasurer’s Office to set up your payment plan. Then just follow the steps below:

• Go to cookcountytreasurer.com and click on the purple box.

• Enter the 14-digit Property Index Number (PIN) or the property address to get your tax information.

• Scroll down until you see your bills, then click the red ‘Payment Plan Calculator’ button which appears if a bill is delinquent.

• Review the disclaimer and click “continue.”

• Choose how often you want to make payments — monthly or twice monthly.

• The calculator will automatically show a recommended payment schedule to help you pay off your balance before the next Annual Tax Sale.

• Select Summary View to quickly compare dates, amounts and your remaining balance.

• Or switch to Detailed View for a full breakdown of every payment.

• When you find a plan that fits your budget, download or print your personalized schedule to track your payments.

• You can also sign up for free email or text alerts, so you never miss a payment reminder.

• Or pay right away by clicking Pay Now.

The calculator gives taxpayers as many as 13 additional months to pay off a bill before the unpaid tax debt is auctioned off at the legally required Annual Tax Sale. During that time, interest will be charged at a rate of 9% a year, or 0.75% a month. The annual interest rate was 18% but the Treasurer’s Office pushed for and won legislative reforms in Springfield that cut the rate in half.

Though the state-mandated interest rate charges can’t be avoided, the Payment Plan Calculator is designed help you avoid borrowing from a credit card company or having to pay back or ‘redeem’ your taxes after they’re sold to a tax buyer. The calculator is a tool that should help more Cook County residents pay off their back taxes and remain in their largest investment, home sweet home.

Report, highlighting priorities shared by residents who participated in the City’s budget engagement process, including protecting essential services, investing in neighborhoods, and pursuing taxes on large corporations as a more equitable approach to raising revenue and balancing the budget. The University of Illinois Chicago’s Neighborhoods Initiative at the Great Cities Institute partnered with the City’s Office of Budget and Management (OBM) and Mayor’s Office of Community Engagement to design, conduct, and analyze the engagement process. The process reached residents across age groups and neighborhoods, with the dedicated youth engagement bringing additional young, Black, and Latino participants into the conversation. When asked to select potential revenue sources, 88% of public engagement respondents (ages 25 and up) and 74% of youth respondents (ages 14 to 24) selected increasing taxes on large corporations, making it the leading revenue option for both groups. Residents may share their stories of how the budget affects them and their communities by emailing MyChiBudget@CityofChicago.org. Residents who submit their budget stories will be sent timely updates about the City’s budget process, including opportunities to speak directly with City officials and other budget stakeholders. For more information on the 2027 City of Chicago Budget Engagement Report, visit Chicago.gov