Ford Heights Mayor Charles Griffin found guilty of stealing from small south suburb
Ford Heights Mayor Charles Griffin was found guilty Monday of stealing from the small south suburban village — six years after he was initially charged.
At the conclusion of a bench trial, Cook County Judge James Obbish said the prosecution provided a “mountain of evidence" showing that Griffin used more than $10,000 in village funds between 2015 and 2017 for “his own personal and economic benefit."
The number was notably smaller than the initial $150,000 in funds Griffin was accused of stealing.
Griffin spent thousands of village dollars on a debit card he had in his name and attempted to hide those expenses from village residents by sending statements to his home, Obbish said while delivering his decision.
During earlier testimony, a witness who worked for the city and had a romantic relationship with Griffin claimed statements were sent to the home to avoid possible theft. Obbish called that explanation “laughable.”
"We were disappointed, but we respect the court's verdict, and we will go forward step by step," Griffin's lawyer Phillip Turner said.
Griffin was found guilty of official misconduct and theft of over $10,000 and less than $150,000. He was initially accused of moving more than $147,000 of public funds into secret bank accounts.
"The prosecution was pushing for it to be over 100,000, and the judge specifically found that it was less than 100,000," Turner said, referring to the dollar amount. "Which, as you can imagine, makes a significant difference."
An additional charge of misappropriation of financial institution property was also dropped earlier this year.
Griffin was mayor of Ford Heights from 2009 to 2017, when he was defeated by Annie Coulter. After taking office, Coulter found financial irregularities and “made a report” that “prompted the investigation,” records show.
Griffin was charged in 2018. At the time, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office said, “Theft by a person in a position of public trust is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
Griffin ran again for mayor in 2021 and won. His bench trial began earlier this year and resumed last week following a long break in June, with a number of village officials called to testify.
Griffin's next court date is scheduled for Oct. 24.