The mayor of a city in Illinois who recently traveled to Washington and met with President Joe Biden is the subject of a corruption investigation by the FBI, according to a report Tuesday.
It does not appear that the meeting is directly related to the probe, but Democratic Mayor Tiffany Henyard of Dolton is getting a lot of attention from the bureau following two years of corruption allegations, WFLD-TV in Chicago reported.
According to the report, Henyard appears to be at the center of an FBI probe as agents are interviewing potential witnesses for a case that could end up with charges.
The investigation began after a Dolton business owner reported his business license was not renewed and said he was harassed by local police, according to WFLD.
Lawrence Gardner, the owner of a U-Haul franchise, said not only was he put out of business but officers raided his company.
He said it all happened because he refused to donate to an event that was held by the mayor.
Gardner told WFLD he took his complaint straight to the FBI and that agents took his allegations “very serious.”
“I talked to a couple of agents and I explained to them what’s going on,” he said. “I gave them all my paperwork to show them what was happening in court and what was happening in Dolton.”
Gardner said the agents told him they were looking into the matter.
Six other individuals each told the Chicago outlet they had been approached by FBI agents about Henyard, who last week posted a video of herself at the White House from January:
The social media post caused immediate controversy as locals were asking questions about Henyard’s spending, Fox News reported.
Some of those who said they spoke to FBI agents were identified as business owners, while one was said to have been a public official and another a former Dolton employee.
One of the business owners, Dewayne Wood, said his restaurant had been closed for a year and he believes it is because he has not supported Henyard.
“I’ve heard rumors that say hey, I’m on the wrong team,” Wood said of why he believes he has been unable to renew his business license.
He said he had cooked for some of Henyard’s political opponents on the Dolton Board of Trustees.
“I think I’ve been targeted because of my association, affiliation with a certain group of people,” Wood told WFLD. “The trustees. I’ve cooked for the trustees.”
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The owner of a local towing company filed a lawsuit claiming his business license was held up because of his “refusal to support or contribute to [Henyard’s] political campaign,” the report said.
The FBI has asked some of the witnesses questions about the mayor’s use of public funds for out-of-town trips and about local police budgets which are reportedly going partially to overtime as officers are being used as Henyard’s own security guards, according to WFLD.
A statement to the Chicago outlet on behalf of the mayor said, “Mayor Tiffany Henyard and the Village of Dolton have not received any subpoenas and have not been contacted by the FBI or any other law enforcement agency.”
The FBI would not comment on the matter, but Dolton Trustee Jason House issued a statement calling for financial transparency from the mayor.
“The Board of Trustees and I have repeatedly questioned the Mayor’s Office on her use of public funds,” House told WFLD. “We welcome any investigation that will bring transparency on how taxpayer dollars are being spent. Our residents deserve this level of financial transparency.”
Dolton is a suburb of Chicago with a population of just over 20,000 people.
