(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Federal prosecutors have charged a senior administrator who serves suburbs Dolton and Thornton with bankruptcy fraud.
Prosecutors said 45-year-old Keith Douglas Freeman lied several times when he filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in an attempt to hide how much money he made from his work as the village administrator for Dolton, the municipality manager for Thornton Township and from his private consulting business.
The announcement came months after village trustees in Dolton called for a federal investigation into Mayor Tiffany Henyard, who’s been accused of spending village funds on lavish trips for staff and received a cease and desist letter from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office over her charity foundations failure to report how it spent funds.
Freeman, of Orland Park, reports to Henyard, who also serves as the Thornton township supervisor.
Officials accused Freeman of, among other things, reporting his 2022 income as $45,186 — despite earning a $100,000 salary that year for his Dolton position, alone.
During the bankruptcy process, Freeman allegedly told creditors that he was not an employee of Dolton and that he didn’t receive any pay from the village. The following month, prosecutors said he chose to have his Dolton paychecks directly deposited into a bank account that was not disclosed to bankruptcy creditors, nor was it disclosed to the Chapter 7 trustee.
Freeman, of Orland park, previously worked as the village administrator of Robbins from 2017 – 2021, and officials claimed he concealed money relating to his time in that position, as well. Prosecutors said the Village of Robbins filed a claim against Freeman, in which Robbins officials said he received more than $90,000 in excess of his authorized salary.
Officials noted that Freeman was “indicted as part of an ongoing federal investigation,” though they didn’t specify what that investigation was.
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