Dolton Village Administrator Keith Freeman charged with bankruptcy fraud

DOLTON, Ill. - A senior administrator for both the Village of Dolton and Thornton Township was charged with bankruptcy fraud on Monday.

Keith Freeman, 45, of Orland Park, was federally indicted for allegedly engaging in a bankruptcy fraud scheme, including lying about his bankruptcy petition to hide his assets from creditors.

Officials from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois said Freeman was indicted as part of an ongoing federal investigation.

Freeman filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Chicago on Jan. 3, 2024, according the indictment. He was required to submit a document identifying all of his assets and sources of income, as well as any claims against him.

The indictment alleges that Freeman made several materially false statements and omissions in the document, including knowingly underreporting income from his employment as both the Village Administrator for Dolton and the Municipality Manager for Thornton Township.

He also underreported fees from his private consulting business, according to the indictment.

Additionally, Freeman allegedly concealed that the Village of Robbins, Ill. had filed a claim against him after he allegedly received approximately $90,396 more than his authorized salary while he was the Village Administrator from 2017 to 2021.

The indictment also alleges that Freeman gave the Chapter 7 Trustee an apparent copy of his 2022 individual income tax return, which showed his total income from employment was $45,186. However, Freeman had not filed an income tax return for that year, and his actual income, which included a $100,000 salary for the Dolton position alone, greatly exceeded that amount.

On Jan. 30, 2024, while testifying under oath at a meeting of creditors, Freeman allegedly stated that he was not an employee of Dolton and that he did not receive payment from the village, the indictment states.

The following month, Freeman allegedly directly deposited his pay from Dolton into a recently opened bank account that he had not disclosed to the creditors or the Chapter 7 Trustee.

Fox 32's Dane Placko has been following several investigations into Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard for at least two years, including questionable uses of village funds.

In a report from June 2023, Freeman can be seen blocking reporters from asking the mayor questions. Freeman was hired into senior positions in Dolton Thornton Township by Henyard.

When Placko tried to ask Henyard about her use of a police detail, he was stopped by Freeman, who stepped in front of our camera.

FOX 32 has confirmed that the FBI is questioning individuals as part of an investigation into Mayor Henyard. Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was officially been appointed by the Village of Dolton Board of Trustees this month to investigate Henyard.