Ex-Chicago Suburb Mayor Guilty of Embezzling Gambling Revenues

A former Chicago suburb mayor, Charles Griffin of Ford Heights, Illinois, was convicted on Monday for embezzling gambling revenues. Griffin was found guilty by Cook County Judge James Obbish of theft of government property of less than $100,000, but over $10,000, in addition to two counts of official misconduct.

Former Ford Heights Mayor Charles Griffin spent more than $10,000 from the suburb’s coffers between 2015 and 2017

Judge Obbish said the prosecution had provided a “mountain of evidence” showing Griffin used more than $10,000 from the suburb’s coffers between 2015 and 2017 for “his own personal and economic benefit.” Griffin was initially accused of stealing nearly $150,000, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Griffin spent thousands of dollars on a debit card he had in his name and tried to hide those expenses from Ford Heights officials and residents by sending statements to his home, Judge Obbish said in delivering his decision.

“We were disappointed, but we respect the court’s verdict. We will go forward step by step,” Griffin’s lawyer Phillip Turner said. “The prosecution was pushing for it to be over 100,000. … The judge specifically found that it was less than 100,000, which, as you can imagine, makes a significant difference.”

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,” per records.

Griffin went to a currency exchange to cash $13,500 worth of checks, then pocketed the cash in Chicago

In 2018, charges were issued against Griffin accusing him of funneling gambling revenues from the State of Illinois into two secret bank accounts of which he had sole control.

Additionally, Griffin allegedly went to a currency exchange to cash $13,500 worth of checks. However, he ended up keeping the cash, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office said in 2018.

Cook County prosecutors said Griffin used the money to make personal purchases at Walmart, Home Depot, Menards, and LA Fitness. He spent the night in jail after turning himself in to authorities, according to The Associated Press.

Griffin is due back in court for post-trial motions and sentencing on Thursday, Oct. 24.