Judge sets trial date for defendant in CPS kickbacks case

CHICAGO (AP) - A judge has set an Oct. 17 trial date for a defendant in a Chicago Public Schools kickbacks case.

U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang set the trial date Wednesday for SUPES Academy co-owner Gary Solomon. The Chicago Sun-Times reports (http://bit.ly/25LnquK ) Chang also scheduled a May 25 hearing where he said he expects an update on plea negotiations.

The 48-year-old Solomon has pleaded not guilty to more than a dozen criminal charges alleging he and business partner Thomas Vranas arranged to pay former CPS chief executive Barbara Byrd-Bennett $2.3 million in exchange for her steering $23 million in no-bid contracts to SUPES Academy.

Chang has scheduled a hearing next Tuesday for Vranas to change his plea from not guilty.

Byrd-Bennett pleaded guilty in October to fraud and is awaiting sentencing.

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Information from: Chicago Sun-Times, http://chicago.suntimes.com/