Email Evidence Leads to Chicago Public School CEO Indictment

[unokitty]

Email Evidence Leads to Chicago Public School CEO Indictment

CHICAGO — Former Chicago Public Schools chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett plans to plead guilty to federal charges that she steered more than $23 million in no-bid contracts from the school system to her previous employers in exchange for kickbacks that would have made her millions of dollars, federal prosecutors announced Thursday....

The announcement of the charges come as Emanuel and the Chicago Teachers Union are deadlocked over contract negotiations, with the mayor calling on teachers to take a 7% pay cut. The school system is weighed down by a massive budget deficit and unmet pension obligations...

Byrd-Bennett, Solomon and Vranas laid out their scheme in e-mails that were recovered by federal agents, according to the indictment.

“I have tuition to pay and casinos to visit [.],” Byrd-Bennett wrote in one e-mail discussing the kickbacks...

The companies planned to conceal some of the kickback money by funneling it into accounts set up in the names of two of Byrd-Bennett’s relatives, according to the indictment. Solomon and Vranas allegedly presented Byrd-Bennett with two college fund accounts, each containing $127,000, that were set up for two of her relatives, according to the indictment...

In one e-mail in late 2012, Solomon told Byrd-Bennett: “It is our assumption that the distribution will serve as a signing bonus upon your return to SUPES/Synesi. If you only join for the day, you will be the highest paid person on the planet for that day.”

In another e-mail, Solomon wrote to Byrd-Bennett that the Chicago Board of Education Inspector General wanted to review Solomon’s and Vranas’s emails and that they planned to use a computer program to delete the emails. Solomon also advised Byrd-Bennett to delete her emails, according to the indictment.

Hard not to feel sorry for this poor lady.

Apparently, Obama's former chief of staff when he appointed her to head Chicago Public Schools neglected to let her know how things are done.

Everyone knows that you're not supposed to have people deposit bribe money in bank accounts. What you are supposed to do is to set up a 'nonprofit' foundation. Then, have people make charitable 'contributions.' After all, US Laws don't require nonprofit foundations to reveal their donors.

And what is up with the e-mail? I thought that once you got to a certain level with the Democratic party that you always used a 'private' email server...

Don't know why the feds have to come down on this poor lady so hard. Its not like she bombed a hospital...

Uno

 

[dank69]

I'm just glad the GOP would never stoop to this level.

 

[DrPizza]

No mention that they're also going to nail the bribers to the wall? A huge example should be made out of companies who attempt to bribe public officials, e.g., banned from public contracts for 5 years or something - written well enough that they just don't reincorporate under a new name and continue business as usual.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

The people with the money are rarely made examples of.

 

[Doc Savage Fan]

This is a problem in Chicago?

 

[Sonikku]

The people with the money are rarely made examples of.

This. Get caught, pay a portion of the ill gotten gains back then get back to work.

 

[cubby1223]

I was told only private for-profit schools were greedy... all public schools are honorable and operate for the max benefit of the students...

 

[woolfe9998]

No mention that they're also going to nail the bribers to the wall? A huge example should be made out of companies who attempt to bribe public officials, e.g., banned from public contracts for 5 years or something - written well enough that they just don't reincorporate under a new name and continue business as usual.

http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr...hools-indicted-accepting-bribes-and-kickbacks

The Wilmette-based SUPES and the Evanston-based Synesi are also charged in the indictment, along with their respective former owners, GARY SOLOMON and THOMAS VRANAS.

 

[waggy]

This is a problem in Chicago?

bwhahahahahahh

oh man. thanks for the laugh.

a problem in chicago hahaha

 

[Victorian Gray]

I was told only private for-profit schools were greedy... all public schools are honorable and operate for the max benefit of the students...

1 corrupt woman = all public schools?

 

[Doc Savage Fan]

1 corrupt woman = all public schools?

This kind of logic is commonly accepted in the liberal community....you got a problem with it?

 

[cubby1223]

1 corrupt woman = all public schools?

1 post by me = Victorian Gray forgets how to interpret the English language.

By chance did you attend public schools?

 

[OverVolt]

Chicago is known as one of the most corrupt cities.

How is this news to you guys?

Chicago is an extremely dysfunctional city.

 

[chucky2]

I don't understand why these people keeping F'ing themselves via electronic means (keep it clean you dirty b@stards)?!?! Whether it's cops or elected/instituted whores, I cannot comprehend why in the year 2015 why these people can't conduct themselves in a manner that isn't so easy to catch them conducting their behind the scenes business. Did this woman think she had Billary resources or something? Crazy...

 

[waggy]

This is a problem in Chicago?

Chicago is known as one of the most corrupt cities.

How is this news to you guys?

Chicago is an extremely dysfunctional city.

replace chicago with IL

 

[WhipperSnapper]

No mention that they're also going to nail the bribers to the wall? A huge example should be made out of companies who attempt to bribe public officials, e.g., banned from public contracts for 5 years or something - written well enough that they just don't reincorporate under a new name and continue business as usual.

The people at the contractors involved with the bribes should be punished severely, too. By severely I mean huge fines and several years of jail time.

 

[BoberFett]

Goddamned Republican culture of corruption.

Snark aside, that's some crooked shit. She and her co-conspirators should all spend a long time in prison. We've gotta start making examples of these people.

 

[werepossum]

http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr...hools-indicted-accepting-bribes-and-kickbacks

Cool. Perhaps for once people will be prosecuted rather than the corporations simply tithing back a portion of their gains.

 

[ivwshane]

I would love to see her get the chair along with everyone else that's involved.

This kind of corruption is lower than low. I'd rather have some one rob me at gun point then vote for people that I think have my back and rob me like this bitch.

 

[soundforbjt]

Cool. Perhaps for once people will be prosecuted rather than the corporations simply tithing back a portion of their gains.

Don't hold your breath, Corporations are people until it comes to breaking the law.

 

[werepossum]

I would love to see her get the chair along with everyone else that's involved.

This kind of corruption is lower than low. I'd rather have some one rob me at gun point then vote for people that I think have my back and rob me like this bitch.

Agreed. At least the man who robs me in person is risking his neck.

Don't hold your breath, Corporations are people until it comes to breaking the law.

That would be my guess, sadly.

 

[Zorkorist]

People are people, and corporations are made up of people.

There isn't this imaginary "corporation" that is a monster, no.

It's just people. Like you and I, people.

-John

 

[Zorkorist]

Government, LAWS, on the other hand, are not people but restrictions on people. Arbitrary restrictions on people.

These are the people to watch out for. The people that put arbitrary restrictions on people.

-John

 

[werepossum]

People are people, and corporations are made up of people.

There isn't this imaginary "corporation" that is a monster, no.

It's just people. Like you and I, people.

-John

Agreed, but the phenomenon he is referencing is that while corporations behave as single entities in some situations, they are unable to make any decisions as single entities. Any decisions made by a corporation must be made by one or more actual people inside that corporation, so any illegal direction intentionally taken results from decisions made by individuals. Yet when caught, these individuals are almost universally allowed to use corporate assets to buy favorable treatment, since the corporation, not being a physical entity, cannot be jailed. Thus the guilty individuals go unpunished while the stockholders pay huge fines. That is what we fear here, because such behavior by our various governments reduces the law to a cost-benefit analysis and thus, those corporations with deep enough pockets effectively operate under different laws. This MIGHT not be the case here because such individuals are seldom so stupid as to leave a written record evidence trail as here. But as he said, don't hold your breath.

 

[Zorkorist]

Corporate law is a long, thought out thing, where the people who run corporations are not responsible if one of their employees murder someone, etc.

Otherwise, of course who would put themselves in such a situation?

Corporations operate in the same sphere of law as normal people operate in; don't do illegal shit.

-John