GREENBELT -- Former Prince George's County Superintendent Andre J. Hornsby deprived citizens and the school board of his "honest services" by taking kickbacks on school system contracts and trying to cover up his actions when he learned that federal officials were investigating, prosecutors told jurors during opening statements in his corruption trial yesterday.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Pauze told jurors they would get to see a surveillance tape of Hornsby stuffing $1,000 into his shirt pocket, money allegedly given to him by a school consultant, Cynthia Joffrion, who had become an FBI informant.
Prosecutors said Joffrion had a business relationship with Hornsby, with whom she had worked at school systems in Houston and Yonkers, N.Y.
The videotape also shows the two talking about ways to conceal $145,000 in payments to Hornsby - such as buying him antiques, artwork, a truck and property - rather than bringing him cash, Pauze told jurors. In addition, Pauze said, Hornsby got half of a $20,000 commission that his live-in girlfriend, Sienna Owens, received on the sale to the Prince George's County schools of nearly $1 million in educational software. The prosecutor said Hornsby steered the contract to her company.
Hornsby's attorney, Robert C. Bonsib, told jurors that Hornsby had done "an honest job" for the school system.
Hornsby, 54, has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges, including mail and wire fraud, evidence tampering, witness tampering and obstruction of justice.
A surprise during opening statements in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte came when prosecutors revealed that they do not intend to call Joffrion as a witness. Joffrion had cooperated with federal investigators by wearing a wire and holding a secretly videotaped meeting with Hornsby at a Bowie hotel.
U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein would not say why Joffrion is not being called.
"We were, frankly, shocked when they said they wouldn't call her," Bonsib said.
Hornsby was hired as Prince George's County superintendent in 2003 and resigned two years later with a $125,000 severance package.
The Sun raised questions in the fall of 2004 about Hornsby's relationship with an educational software company for which Owens worked. At the time, he had not disclosed to Prince George's officials that he lived with Owens, who worked for LeapFrog SchoolHouse, a company that received a $1 million contract with Hornsby's school district.
