Illinois Comptroller Freezes Funds Amid Dolton Mayor’s Spending Scandal

Tiffany Henyard, the self-described “supermayor” of Dolton and the supervisor of Thornton Township, the second most populated township in Illinois, has been cut off by the state comptroller’s office. Seen this week at a village meeting speaking into her gold-plated microphone, Henyard remains under federal investigation for allegedly spending taxpayer money on her over-the-top lifestyle. The Illinois Comptroller is withholding funds from the town until Henyard submits the required annual financial reports to the state.

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza announced Friday that the state is freezing $135,000 owed to the Village of Dolton until Henyard becomes transparent about her spending of taxpayer money. Henyard is under federal investigation for reckless and lavish spending on personal matters using the village’s funds. Among her many questionable expenses was a first-class roundtrip to Las Vegas last year, where she accumulated over $10,000 in casino resort, hotel room, and dining expenses. Mendoza stated she’s withholding Dolton’s $135K check until the village submits financial records as required by state law.

TRUSTED PARTNER ✅

“When municipalities around Illinois are having legitimate problems filing their annual reports with us, based on staffing or other issues, we earnestly work with them to get them into compliance,” Mendoza said. “Dolton is different. The mayor’s office has refused to communicate with us or address the problem. If Mayor Henyard refuses to follow state law, my office will use the tools at our disposal to safeguard the interests of Dolton’s citizens.”

Mendoza reports that her office hasn’t received a financial filing from Dolton since 2021. Annual reports for 2022 and 2023 are delinquent, Mendoza explained. She is keeping so-called “offset” funds from Dolton, which the state issues to townships and municipalities annually and are collected from things like traffic fines, income tax refunds, and lottery winnings. Dolton received $120K last year.

Henyard’s alleged reckless spending, which includes a private security detail fit for a U.S. president or royal, has put her in hot water. Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is leading a probe into Dolton’s finances under Henyard’s watch. A preliminary report raised questions about the mayor regularly using a village credit card at Amazon, Target, Walgreens, Wayfair, and other retailers. She spent $33K on Amazon with the village credit card alone. Investigators believe the mayor has spent over $1 million of taxpayer money on herself and her closest allies.

Dolton’s population is only about 20K people, with more than 20% living in poverty and the average median income at just $24K. Meanwhile, Henyard is paying herself $270K annually and has proposed that the next mayor be paid only $25K, something her critics say is designed to fend off opponents from seeking the mayor’s seat.

Henyard’s 2023 Las Vegas trip with an entourage of 13 has further fueled controversy. One of her top supporters, Dolton Trustee Andrew Holmes, a community activist, allegedly sexually assaulted a now-former township employee during the trip. The woman, Fenia Dukes, was on the trip as one of Henyard’s assistants and alleged in a lawsuit that she was raped by Holmes in a casino hotel room, a claim supported in the legal filing by Dolton police officer Byron Miles, who was also on the trip. The officer reported that Holmes called him, bragging about hooking up with the assistant, and on FaceTime, panned the camera to show the partially dressed woman lying in bed. The officer noted in the complaint that he could not tell if the woman consented.

In the aftermath of the lawsuit, Dukes says she was forced to take unpaid time off and was later terminated, while the police officer was demoted and removed from Henyard’s detail.