Former Ford Heights Mayor Charles Griffin was sentenced to four years in prison and fined $50,000 for stealing thousands of dollars from those taxpayers, a Cook County judge announced Friday.
Griffin, 69, was convicted in September of embezzling between $10,000 and $100,000 of public funds for personal use during and after his first term as mayor of the small, poor village of Ford Heights.
The federal indictment came after Griffin’s successor Anne Coulter, who served from 2017 until Griffin was elected to a second term in 2021, discovered that $147,000 in public funds were held in secret bank accounts linked to Griffin. Prosecutors said Griffin used those accounts to pay for goods and services that benefited him and people close to him, spending thousands at places like Walmart, Home Depot, Menards, LA Fitness and various restaurants.
Griffin was forced to resign due to the felony conviction, resulting in the appointment of Freddy Wilson as interim mayor. Wilson is seeking to retain the mayor’s seat in this spring’s election, with Coulter one of his four challengers.
Griffin’s attorney Philip Turner on Friday asked Judge James Obish to reconsider the evidence in the case and allow a new trial and then a prison-free sentence.
“Probation – it’s more than enough,” Turner said. “There was a lot of publicity over this. Surely he is embarrassed and ashamed.”
Turner said the letters of support from community members and others close to Griffin reflect the former mayor’s good character and that he never intended to steal money from taxpayers. He said that despite his felony conviction, as mayor Griffin worked to promote economic development and otherwise help residents.
Obisch acknowledged that Griffin was an “exceptional” case in his court, being a highly educated individual with no prior criminal record. Nevertheless, he sided with state attorneys, ruling Griffin should spend time in prison for betraying the trust of his former constituents.
“Putting Mr. Griffin on probation will reduce the seriousness (of the crime),” Obish said, adding that he hopes Griffin’s sentence will serve as a deterrent, preventing others from “dipping into public funds, losing their salaries.” Will prevent you from taking more than.
Upon hearing that he would be sentenced to four years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, Griffin dropped his hands from his face to the table in front of him and looked at the seated friends and family members, shaking his head in disappointment.
Turner said he will file a request to have Obish’s sentence reconsidered, which will be heard at 10 a.m. Feb. 21 at the courthouse, 2650 South California Avenue, Chicago. Prosecutors said Griffin was expected to be taken into custody at that time.
Turner maintained Griffin’s innocence, saying “he did nothing wrong,” and that the evidence presented by prosecutors at the trial was insufficient to convict Griffin of a Class 2 felony. He said he would continue to represent Griffin as he seeks an appeal.
“I know there’s a lot of talk going on about public officials, particularly mayors in the south suburbs,” Turner said. “But he’s not one of those people.”