A high Illinois village police official and shut ally of “Dolton Dictator” Mayor Tiffany Henyard was indicted on federal prices Monday — although his lawyer argued the brand new legal case was solely introduced in hopes his consumer activates the embattled municipal chief.
Dolton Deputy Police Chief Lewis Lacey was hit with a nine-count indictment for chapter fraud and different prices after he was accused of scheming to cover property and revenue to trick collectors and keep away from paying a settlement tied to a previous lawsuit, the US Legal professional’s Workplace for the Northern District of Illinois introduced.
Lacey, 61, has filed a number of private chapter circumstances within the state, together with in 2019 and 2020 that prevented the courts from imposing a settlement settlement reached between Lacey, the defendant and the plaintiff within the 2017 lawsuit during which he nonetheless owed $43,000 out of $55,000 cost, prosecutors mentioned.
Lacey allegedly made false claims verbally and in paperwork he submitted, together with underreporting his month-to-month revenue and hiding financial institution accounts.
He additionally falsely claimed he was separated from his partner and she or he didn’t contribute to the sum of money introduced into the house every month, which allowed him to lowball his month-to-month revenue so he didn’t have to pay collectors as a lot, the feds alleged.
Lacey is a widely known supporter of Henyard, who took workplace in 2021 and has been the main focus of limitless controversy over the previous yr.
Trustees combating again in opposition to Henyard positioned Lacey on administrative depart final week, although a lawyer representing the board, Burt Odelson, instructed the Chicago Tribune he nonetheless saved reporting to work.
The mayor, the village and the close by township the place Henyard can be supervisor had been issued subpoenas earlier this yr for a trove of paperwork and monetary information as a part of a federal probe.
Henyard, who has been referred to as a dictator by some locals, has confronted accusations of misusing taxpayer funds and utilizing the police division for private enterprise.
Whereas Lacey’s legal case on Monday isn’t related to village enterprise, his legal professional claimed his shut connection to Henyard is the rationale he was indicted. The appearing police chief has been accused of going after the mayor’s detractors.
Lawyer Gal Pissetzky instructed The Submit the US legal professional’s actions are a part of a “greater plan by the federal government to attempt to indict the mayor of Dolton” and his consumer was harmless of the costs.
The feds solely need to use Lacey to assist construct up a legal case in opposition to Henyard, he claimed.
“They’re going after sure folks within the village to see who’s gonna activate the mayor,” Pissetzky insisted.
Lacey was charged as a part of ongoing federal probe, the US Legal professional’s Workplace mentioned. He might spend many years in jail if convicted on all prices.
‘They’re going after sure folks within the village to see who’s gonna activate the mayor’
Protection lawyer Gal Pissetzky
Lacey, who acted as a bodyguard for Henyard throughout an occasion in February and even blocked a Submit photographer from snapping photographs of the Dolton chief, can be going through prices of creating false statements and declarations in a chapter case and perjury.
Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who was employed to probe the village’s spending, revealed final week that police prices jumped 21% for the reason that village fiscal yr 2022 with police time beyond regulation leaping tons of of hundreds of {dollars} throughout that span.
Lacey obtained greater than $200,000 in time beyond regulation for the reason that village’s fiscal yr 2022 although he hasn’t been a part of the village’s collective bargaining settlement for a while, Lightfoot mentioned as she unveiled the high-spending in Dolton to the gasps of residents.
A longtime aide to Henyard, Keith Freeman, was slapped with comparable prices earlier this yr that he’s pleaded not responsible to.
Whereas Henyard mentioned at a gathering final week that Freeman was fired as village administrator, the trustees mentioned she lacked authority to make that call and didn’t assist the termination, based on the Tribune.
Extra reporting by Steven Vago
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