A former Chicago-area nonprofit executive was sentenced to federal prison for coordinating fraud schemes that stole over $2 million in public monies.
Barbara Harris, 55, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and was sentenced to 12 months in jail on March 20. Harris formerly worked as the executive director of the Center for Community Academic Success Partnerships, which obtained government funding to offer after-school programs.
Between 2012 and 2017, Harris and another executive, Tony Bell, filed grant proposals that overstated estimated costs and fraudulently claimed the involvement of subcontractors, including NGOs they controlled.
Authorities stated that the subcontractors delivered no services, resulting in approximately $1.8 million in losses for the Illinois Department of Education.
Prosecutors claim Harris allegedly engaged in a separate conspiracy involving South Suburban Community Services, where she was co-executive director. Between 2021 and 2023, she illegally received financing from the AmeriCorps VISTA program by misrepresenting how volunteers would be used, despite the fact that the programs were already financed. The strategy resulted in an extra loss of roughly $100,000.
Harris acknowledged her involvement in both schemes as part of her guilty plea. Bell, 65, of Matteson, has also pled guilty to wire fraud and is set to be sentenced on August 21.
“This type of crime erodes the public’s faith in non-profit organizations generally and the federal programs that fund these organizations,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin Walgamuth argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Additionally, because the misappropriated grant funds were competitive, Harris’s conduct likely denied other organizations critical federal funding opportunities.”
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