Former Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard due in court Friday
A Cook County judge ordered Henyard to appear in court to answer claims that during her time in office, she failed to follow state transparency laws and turn over spending and other records.
She fired back that she was simply 'the face of the village' and not its record keeper.
The Friday hearing is in connection to a lawsuit filed by the Edgar County Watchdogs, Inc. The organization sued the Village of Dolton after Henyard's administration ignored Freedom Of Information Act requests last January.
Prior to Friday's appearance, Henyard was found in contempt of court. We expect to learn Friday whether there will be any punishment for that.
Over the last several years, Henyard has been at the center of controversy and an ongoing FBI investigation for questionable spending, and claims that she used her government power to retaliate against people she perceived as opponents.
Brawl involving Tiffany Henyard leads to 2 lawsuits
WGN Investigates has documented first class trips for Henyard and her allies costing taxpayers more than a $100,000. This spring, Dolton and Thornton Township residents voted Henyard out of office.
While under the spotlight, Henyard has not been charged with a crime.
Friday's hearing is also expected to look into a lawsuit against the Village of Dolton, Henyard and the village's board of fire and police commissioners.
The hearing is expected to begin at 2 p.m. Friday.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Los Angeles Times
15 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Judge denies Justice Department request to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts
NEW YORK — A federal judge who presided over the sex trafficking case against financier Jeffrey Epstein has rejected the government's request to unseal grand jury transcripts. The ruling Wednesday by Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan came after the judge presiding over the case against British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend, also turned down the government's request. Barring reversal on appeal, Berman's decision forecloses the possibility of grand jury testimony being released now that three judges have reached the same conclusion. A federal judge in Florida declined to release grand jury documents from an investigation there in 2005 and 2007. The rulings are a collective repudiation of the Justice Department's effort to divert attention away from its stated refusal to release a massive trove of records in its possession and make clear that the still-sealed court documents contain none of the answers likely to satisfy the immense public interest in the case. President Trump had called for the release of transcripts amid rumors and criticism about his long-ago involvement with Epstein. During last year's presidential campaign, Trump promised to release files related to Epstein, but he was met with criticism — including from many of his own supporters — when the small number of records released by his Justice Department lacked new revelations. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on Wednesday. Berman said the information contained in the Epstein grand jury transcripts 'pales in comparison to the Epstein investigative information and materials in the hands of the Department of Justice.' The Justice Department had informed Berman that the only witness to testify before the Epstein grand jury was an FBI agent who, the judge noted, 'had no direct knowledge of the facts of the case and whose testimony was mostly hearsay.' The agent testified over two days, on June 18, 2019, and July 2, 2019. The entire transcript was 70 pages. The rest of the grand jury presentation consisted of a PowerPoint slideshow shown during the June 18 session and a call log shown during the July 2 session, which ended with grand jurors voting to indict Epstein. Both of those will also remain sealed, Berman ruled. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence after her conviction on sex trafficking charges for helping Epstein sexually abuse girls and young women. She was recently transferred from a prison in Florida to a prison camp in Texas. Epstein died in jail awaiting trial. Maxwell's case has been the subject of heightened public focus since an outcry over the Justice Department's statement last month saying that it would not be releasing any additional documents from the Epstein sex trafficking investigation. The decision infuriated online sleuths, conspiracy theorists and elements of Trump's base who had hoped to see proof of a government cover-up. Since then, officials in Trump's Republican administration have tried to cast themselves as promoting transparency in the case, including by requesting from courts the unsealing of grand jury transcripts. 'The government is the logical party to make comprehensive disclosure to the public of the Epstein file,' Berman wrote in an apparent reference to the Justice Department's refusal to release additional records on its own while simultaneously moving to unseal grand jury transcripts. 'By comparison,' Berman added, 'the instant grand jury motion appears to be a 'diversion' from the breadth and scope of the Epstein files in the Government's possession. The grand jury testimony is merely a hearsay snippet of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged conduct.' Meanwhile, Maxwell was interviewed at a Florida courthouse weeks ago by Deputy Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche, and the House Oversight Committee had also said that it wanted to speak with Maxwell. Her lawyers said they would be open to an interview but only if the panel were to ensure immunity from prosecution. In a letter to Maxwell's lawyers, Rep. James Comer, the committee chair, wrote that the committee was willing to delay the deposition until after the resolution of Maxwell's appeal to the Supreme Court. That appeal is expected to be resolved in late September. Comer wrote that although Maxwell's testimony was 'vital' to the Republican-led investigation into Epstein, the committee would not provide immunity or any questions in advance of her testimony, as was requested by her team. Neumeister and Sisak write for the Associated Press. AP writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Judge denies justice department request to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts
A judge who presided over the sex trafficking case against financier Jeffrey Epstein has rejected the US government's request to unseal grand jury transcripts. The ruling on Wednesday by Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan came after the judge presiding over the case against British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend, also turned down the government's request. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence after her conviction on sex trafficking charges for helping Epstein sexually abuse girls and young women. Epstein died in jail awaiting trial. A US justice department spokesperson declined to comment. Judge Berman said the information contained in the Epstein grand jury transcripts 'pales in comparison to the Epstein investigative information and materials in the hands of the Department of Justice.' According to his ruling, no victims gave evidence before the Epstein grand jury. The only witness, the judge wrote, was an FBI agent 'who had no direct knowledge of the facts of the case and whose testimony was mostly hearsay'. The agent gave evidence over two days, on June 18 and July 2 2019. The rest of the grand jury presentation consisted of a PowerPoint slideshow shown during the June 18 session and a call log shown during the July 2 session, which ended with grand jurors voting to indict Epstein. Both of those will also remain sealed, Judge Berman ruled. Maxwell's case has been the subject of heightened public focus since an outcry over the justice department's statement last month saying that it would not be releasing any additional documents from the Epstein sex trafficking investigation. The decision infuriated online sleuths, conspiracy theorists and elements of US President Donald Trump's base who had hoped to see proof of a government cover-up. Since then, Trump administration officials have tried to cast themselves as promoting transparency in the case, including by requesting from courts the unsealing of grand jury transcripts. 'The government is the logical party to make comprehensive disclosure to the public of the Epstein file,' Judge Berman wrote in an apparent reference to the justice department's refusal to release additional records on its own while simultaneously moving to unseal grand jury transcripts. 'By comparison,' he added, 'the instant grand jury motion appears to be a 'diversion' from the breadth and scope of the Epstein files in the government's possession. The grand jury testimony is merely a hearsay snippet of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged conduct.' Meanwhile, Maxwell was interviewed at a Florida courthouse weeks ago by US deputy attorney general Todd Blanche, and the house oversight committee had also said that it wanted to speak with Maxwell. Her lawyers said they would be open to an interview but only if the panel were to ensure immunity from prosecution. In a letter Maxwell's lawyers, representative James Comer, the committee chairman, wrote that the committee was willing to delay the deposition until after the resolution of Maxwell's appeal to the Supreme Court. That appeal is expected to be resolved in late September. Mr Comer wrote that while Maxwell's testimony was 'vital' to the Republican-led investigation into Epstein, the committee would not provide immunity or any questions in advance of her testimony, as was requested by her team.


Fox News
43 minutes ago
- Fox News
FBI arrests woman on 'Ten Most Wanted Fugitives' hiding in India, transports to US for prosecution
EXCLUSIVE: The FBI captured and arrested an individual on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" list, Cindy Rodriguez Singh in India, for the alleged murder of her 6-year-old son, Fox News Digital has learned. Fox News Digital has learned that Rodriguez Singh had an active federal warrant for "Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution," and an active Texas state warrant for "Capital Murder of a Person Under 10 years of age." Rodriguez-Singh fled the United States to avoid prosecution for the alleged murder of her child, Noel Rodriguez Alvarez. On Oct. 3, 2024, an INTERPOL Red Notice was published for Rodriguez Singh and submitted to all member countries, including India. At that time, an extradition packet for Singh was also submitted. The FBI, in coordination with Indian authorities and INTERPOL, arrested Rodriguez Singh in India. She has been transported to the United States and the FBI will turn her over to Texas authorities. "The FBI's Ten Most Wanted list exists for cases just like this—where a dangerous fugitive thought she could run, hide overseas, and escape justice," an FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital. "Thanks to relentless FBI work and our international partnerships, Cindy Rodriguez-Singh is back on American soil to face accountability for the horrific murder of her own child." Patel added: "Justice has no borders, and today the American people can see that we will never stop pursuing those who prey on the most innocent among us." On March 20, 2023, the Everman Police Department was asked by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to conduct a welfare check on the 6-year-old son of Rodriguez Singh, after the child had not been seen since October 2022, according to the FBI. Singh's son had numerous health and developmental issues, including a severe developmental disorder, social disorder, bone density issues, chronic lung disease, pulmonary edema and estropia, according to officials. During the welfare check, officials said Rodriguez Singh lied to investigators and indicated that the child was in Mexico with his biological father and had been there since November 2022. On March 22, 2023, Rodriguez Singh, her husband, and 6 other juvenile children, boarded an international flight to India, the FBI said, adding that investigators confirmed that the missing child was not present and never boarded that flight. On October 31, 2023, Rodriguez Singh was charged with Capital Murder in the District Court of Tarrant County, Fort Worth, Texas. On November 2, 2023, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Rodriguez Singh in the United States District Court, Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth, Texas, after she was charged with Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution. Rodriguez Singh was added to the "Most Wanted" list in July. Rodriguez Singh is the fourth person arrested on the "Most Wanted" list under Patel's leadership.