Feds: Rahm's Education Boss said ‘tuition to pay and casinos to visit’ led to kickbacks . Public Education As A Corruption Scheme.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

Even before she was hired to run Chicago Public Schools, Barbara Byrd-Bennett set up a scheme to get a 10 percent kickback on all the CPS contracts she could steer to a former employer, in part to set up a college fund for her twin grandsons, authorities said Thursday.

The feds found damning, detailed emails between her and her ex-boss, Gary Solomon — apparently so damning that Byrd-Bennett will plead guilty in the case involving $23 million in CPS contracts. U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon, in an unusual move, announced Byrd-Bennett’s intention to plead as he announced the charges.

“I have tuition to pay and casinos to visit :)” the feds say Byrd-Bennett wrote in one of many emails discussing the alleged kickbacks.

Byrd-Bennett, 66 — who was handpicked to lead CPS in October 2012 by Mayor Rahm Emanuel — was charged Thursday with wire fraud and mail fraud in a 43-page indictment. Also charged were the owners of two businesses that got more than $23 million in no-bid CPS contracts — Solomon, 47, of Wilmette, and Thomas Vranas, 34, of Glenview. They also face charges of bribery and conspiracy to defraud the United States, and two of their companies, The SUPES Academy LLC and Synesi Associates LLC, were indicted, too.

Byrd-Bennett becomes CPS’ first chief executive officer to face criminal charges in connection with her job. Federal authorities have been investigating one of those contracts — a $20.5 million no-bid deal for principal training, the largest in recent memory — for more than a year. The investigation came to light in April when subpoenas landed at CPS, forcing Byrd-Bennett out. By then, CPS had paid SUPES all but $7.7 million.

The investigation continues, Fardon said, declining to elaborate. Byrd-Bennett has yet to appear before a judge and could enter her guilty plea as soon as her initial court appearance, not yet scheduled.

Just a reminder: if you support public education (in big cities) you support corruption.