In recent months, the administration of Mayor Tiffany Henyard of Dolton has been engulfed in controversy, with revelations of excessive spending and serious allegations of misconduct threatening to end her political career. Over a span of just five months, Henyard and her team accumulated more than $67,000 in travel-related expenses, a staggering amount considering the modest budget of a small village like Dolton.
The scandal began to unfold when Henyard’s administration was accused of withholding financial records, a clear violation of state transparency laws. Despite orders from the Illinois Attorney General’s office to release these documents, Henyard and her allies resisted, raising suspicions and drawing criticism. This led to WGN, a prominent news outlet, filing a lawsuit to obtain the records. When the court intervened, dozens of pages of credit card statements and other documents were made public, revealing extravagant expenditures including first-class flights, high-end hotels, luxury dining, and personal shopping sprees.
One particularly shocking example of this spending was a five-day trip to Austin, Texas, in July 2023. During this trip, Henyard, her top aide Keith Freeman, and three other officials spent over $20,000 of taxpayer money. The receipts from this trip included exorbitant charges such as $1,699 at the Fairmont Austin Hotel, $389 at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, and even $53 for sports riding apparel. Further scrutiny revealed additional spending of over $24,000 on retailers like Walmart and Amazon, $5,900 on Uber Eats and local restaurants, and $3,491 for a personal photographer.
The citizens of Dolton were rightfully outraged by this misuse of public funds. As a public servant, Henyard’s primary responsibility should be to serve her community, not to indulge in personal luxuries at the expense of taxpayers. This scandal was compounded by an alleged attempt to cover up these expenditures, leading to even more questions about her integrity and accountability.
Adding to the controversy is the troubling situation surrounding Henyard’s charity, the Tiffany Henyard Cares Foundation. Established in the fall of 2022 to support cancer patients, the foundation received $110,000 from the township board, yet reportedly raised only an additional $33,000 from other sources. The disparity between the large initial funding and the minimal additional fundraising efforts has led to allegations that the foundation may be a scam.
The situation took a darker turn with a civil lawsuit filed in April 2024. The lawsuit accuses Henyard and a village trustee of serious misconduct during a work trip to Las Vegas. According to the complaint, a former assistant was allegedly assaulted by the trustee and later found in his hotel room with no memory of how she got there. The lawsuit also claims that the trustee, during a video call with Officer Byron Miles, showed disturbing footage of the woman. The involvement of Henyard in the aftermath of the alleged assault further complicates the matter, with accusations that she placed the woman on unpaid medical leave without consent, effectively silencing her.
In response to these allegations, Henyard hired Bo Brenley, a high-profile criminal defense attorney known for representing clients in controversial cases, including R. Kelly’s ex-business manager, Darryl McDavid. Brenley’s involvement is notable not just for his legal expertise but also for his controversial reputation. Accusations of misconduct and negative reviews from former clients have cast a shadow over his practice, raising questions about his suitability for handling Henyard’s case.
Brenley’s public presence, including attending Dolton village board meetings alongside Henyard, has only fueled the controversy. The involvement of a high-powered criminal defense attorney in a municipal setting is highly unusual and has sparked concerns about potential misuse of village funds for personal legal battles.
As the FBI investigates the corruption allegations and the civil lawsuit progresses, the situation for Mayor Tiffany Henyard appears increasingly dire. The combination of lavish spending, questionable charity practices, and serious allegations of misconduct has severely damaged her reputation. The residents of Dolton are calling for accountability, and with the mounting evidence against her, it seems inevitable that Henyard’s time in office may soon come to an end. The community deserves better leadership, and as the investigation continues, more details are likely to emerge, further implicating Henyard and highlighting the need for justice.
