Former DeKalb school superintendent pleads guilty to federal charges in Illinois

Devon Horton, former DeKalb County School District superintendent, pleaded guilty to federal charges of wire fraud, embezzlement and tax evasion Monday morning, according to a public information officer at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Horton was superintendent of a school district in Illinois before getting the DeKalb County school position.

Roughly a year ago, Horton pleaded not guilty to the charges. But last week, one of his co-defendants, Samuel Ross, took a plea deal and agreed to testify against Horton and two others in a trial scheduled for January 5.

The public information officer did not say if Horton also took a plea deal. His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Horton is accused of steering district contracts in the Evanston-Skokie School District 65 outside of Chicago to his longtime friends, then getting kickbacks from the contracts between 2020 and 2023, according to the indictment. Horton led the school system for three years.

The contracts totaled roughly $280,000, and about $85,000 was funneled back to Horton, according to the indictment. Horton is also accused of improperly using the district’s credit card.

Horton is one of four defendants charged in the Illinois case. If found guilty, each of the defendants must pay back $293,500, according to the indictment. Horton would owe an additional $30,800. The embezzlement charge alone carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years, while a wire fraud conviction can result in a 20-year sentence.

Horton was hired to lead DeKalb, the state’s third-largest public school district, in 2023.

Shortly after he was hired, he faced criticism for hiring people he worked with in Chicago — including Antonio Ross, who is also named in the indictment. Horton and Ross were business partners. Ross ultimately did not accept the DeKalb position.