Six years after Ford Heights Mayor Charles Griffin was charged with embezzling nearly $150,000 from the tiny cash-strapped south suburb, his case could soon come to a conclusion.
A trial before Cook County Judge James Obbish quietly got started in recent months and, after a break in June, is slated to resume Monday.
When Griffin was charged in August 2018, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office put out a press release that quoted her as saying, “Theft by a person in a position of public trust is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
But these days, neither Foxx, who’s been criticized for not doing more to tackle public corruption, nor her aides will say much.
“As the case is pending litigation, we are unable to comment,” a spokesperson said.
Neither Griffin, who has denied wrongdoing, nor his attorney could be reached.
Court records show that one of Griffin’s criminal charges — misappropriation of financial institution property — was dropped earlier this year. Foxx’s office won’t say why.
Official misconduct and theft charges remain in place, records show. If he’s convicted and is in elected office at that time, he may have to leave the position under state law that bars felons in many cases from serving in public office.
Griffin was mayor of Ford Heights from 2009 to 2017, when he was defeated by Annie Coulter. After taking office, she found financial irregularities and “made a report” that “prompted the investigation,” records show.
Foxx’s office said in 2018, “Soon after Griffin left office, the Village discovered irregular activity in accounts at BMO Harris Bank under the Village’s name that did not appear to have been previously disclosed to the Village Trustees and or other Village officials. Griffin was a signatory on each of these accounts and the mailing address on two of the accounts was Griffin’s personal residence.
“A review of one of the undisclosed accounts revealed that approximately $134,679 was deposited into this account during the relevant period. This account was funded primarily by transfers from the other two undisclosed accounts or by warrant [check] deposits from the Illinois Treasurer’s Office, which represented the Village’s local share of video gaming tax.
“According to prosecutors, significant portions of the funds withdrawn from this account were used for Griffin’s personal expenses. These expenses include debit card transactions at numerous entities such as Walmart, Home Depot, Menards, L.A. Fitness and various restaurants and other establishments.”
Overall, Griffin was accused of moving more than $147,000 of public funds into secret bank accounts while he was mayor, prosecutors said in 2018.
Griffin ran again for mayor in 2021 and won. Coulter could not be reached for comment.
Among the documents in the court file is an affidavit submitted by a Ford Heights public works employee who says that, among his duties, he served as “the designated driver for elected officials and staff from January 2012 to May 2017” for “when they attended events that included the consumption of alcohol.”
He wrote that board members “agreed to pay a couple months on my car insurance … because of my designated driver activity. After that the board agreed to pay me $75 per day for each event.”
Contacted by a reporter, the employee declined to comment.
Ford Heights Trustee Jimmy Viverette, who’s slated to be a possible witness, says he stands by Griffin.
“I’m pretty sure once it’s over they’ll find it’s someone trying to destroy his character,” Viverette said. “This guy’s doing an awesome job.”