Hornsby and Owens denied receiving any financial benefit from the deal. They said the sale had been handled by a different LeapFrog saleswoman and the decision to make the purchase was handled by Hornsby's staff.
The audit revealed that Owens kept boxes of LeapFrog supplies in Hornsby's garage. Owens testified in court that she often spoke about her business with Hornsby and sought his advice.
Prosecutors said that, without the school board's permission, Hornsby was working as a consultant while holding the county job, something he had denied. And, they said, the school system had circumvented its own bidding rules in awarding a contract to Joffrion, who had been helping Hornsby run a consulting business and to whom the schools chief secretly steered another contract.
