For years, Dolton, Illinois, has been a lightning rod for controversy thanks to “Super Mayor” Tiffany Henyard and the slew of disturbing allegations against her. After lawsuits alleging wrongful termination and accusations of corruption and retaliation, Henyard’s reputation just took yet another hit— this time, with a major bank in the crosshairs of a million dollar lawsuit.
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We previously told you about Henyard and the disturbing accusations levied against her; allegedly misusing taxpayer money to fund personal trips to Las Vegas, to accusations of sexual harassment to allegedly spending one million on a private police security detail. Now, a new lawsuit alleges Henyard “stole” $1.9 million right from under the public’s nose— with a bank’s help.
According to the Village of Dolton’s lawsuit filed Feb. 6 in Cook County court, a May 2021 resolution requires two signatures for any check to be valid— one of which must be Village Clerk Alison Key, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The city accused Fifth Third Bank of cashing 251 checks to village vendors they said were signed by Henyard, but not by Key.
Therefore, the village is looking to recoup the $1.9 million in “misappropriated” funds from Fifth Third Bank for cashing what they called fraudulent checks. The lawsuit accused the bank of violating “reasonable banking standards,” negligence and aiding and abetting Henyard’s alleged misuse of funds between April 2022 and May 2023.
The village said it has incurred interest and debt because of the lost money, the lawsuit added. A court date for Fifth Third Bank’s lawsuit is scheduled for April 6.
Henyard, who describes herself on Facebook as “the most powerful woman in the Southland of Chicago,” was previously accused of using the clerk’s signature stamp without authorization, the Chicago Sun-Times reported in 2022. Additionally, Henyard was accused of preventing trustees from accessing the village’s bank accounts at times.
The Dolton Board of Trustees appointed former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to investigate Henyard’s alleged misuse of public funds. On Jan. 26, Lightfoot presented her findings at a special town hall; according to CBS News, the report confirmed “gross financial mismanagement” at both the Village of Dolton and Thornton Township, where Henyard currently serves as supervisor.
Henyard served one term as Dolton’s mayor from May 2021 to May 2025, becoming the youngest and first woman mayor of the village. After years of controversy, Trustee Jason House unseated her in a landslide victory last February, securing a staggering 95% of the vote in the mayoral primary.
Dolton’s village administrator said in February 2024 residents “deserve better than this circus.”
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