A former executive from a Chicago-area non-profit has admitted guilt in a federal fraud case involving the misappropriation of $1.8 million, initially intended to support underprivileged youth. Barbara Harris, who served as Executive Director of the Center for Community Academic Success Partnerships (CCASP), confessed to her involvement in the scheme, which took place between 2012 and 2017.
The CCASP received government grants, including those from the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program aimed at academic enrichment. These funds were distributed by the Illinois State Board of Education to CCASP. Harris, along with another executive, Tony Bell, inflated projected expenses in grant applications and falsely claimed services from subcontractors that never materialized. Two of these subcontractors were other non-profits managed by Harris and Bell themselves. This deception led to an actual loss of approximately $1.8 million to the Illinois Department of Education.
In addition to this scheme, Harris also acknowledged participating in another fraudulent activity from 2021 to 2023 against the AmeriCorps VISTA program while serving as Co-Executive Director of South Suburban Community Services (SSCS). She submitted falsified grant applications claiming that VISTA members would develop programs for economic opportunities in Chicago's south suburbs when they were actually supporting existing job training and afterschool programs. This resulted in a $98,699 loss for the VISTA program.
Harris pleaded guilty on February 27, 2025, to wire fraud charges before U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood who scheduled sentencing for July 11, 2025.
The announcement came from Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; John F. Woolley from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General; Douglas S. DePodesta from the FBI’s Chicago Field Office; Ramsey Covington from IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago; and Stephen Ravas from AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General with assistance from the Illinois Office of Executive Inspector General.
Tony Bell has pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy and money laundering and is awaiting trial. The public is reminded that an indictment does not equate guilt as Bell is presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
