FORD HEIGHTS, Ill. () — Eleven current and former elected officials and municipal workers in Ford Heights are facing a total of 79 felony charges over allegations that taxpayer funds were used to finance personal casino trips to Las Vegas and Michigan City, Indiana, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced.
Those charged include former Mayor Annie R. Coulter, who led the village from 2017 through 2021, along with current Village Clerk Nyree D. Ford and sitting trustees Johnny A. Griffin and James E. Morgan.
According to Raoul’s office, the defendants allegedly tapped municipal money to cover airfare, hotel stays and costly entertainment during private casino vacations.
“Elected officials and civil servants are rightfully held to a higher standard, making it especially egregious when someone in power intentionally steals from the taxpayers they are supposed to be serving,” Raoul said. He credited the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and investigators from his office for their work on the case.
Investigators with the attorney general’s Criminal Division, assisted by Cook County sheriff’s officers, served a search warrant Thursday at Ford Heights Municipal Hall.
The charges include theft of governmental property and official misconduct. The people named by the attorney general are:
– Antone Adams, 59, of Chicago Heights, Illinois
– Annie R. Coulter, 74, of Ford Heights (former mayor)
– Nyree D. Ford, 53, of Ford Heights (village clerk)
– Allis Franklin, 78, of Ford Heights
– Mary Matthews Graziano, 65, of Ford Heights
– Johnny A. Griffin, 67, of Ford Heights (current village trustee)
– Scottie L. Hatten, 38, of Hazel Crest, Illinois (former village trustee)
– LaDell L. Jones, 61, of Ford Heights (former village trustee)
– Dedra D. Lee, 65, of Ford Heights
– Antoina T. McMichales, 56, of Ford Heights (former village trustee)
– James E. Morgan, 48, of Ford Heights (current village trustee)
For some former Ford Heights firefighters, the allegations echoed long-standing concerns about how the village treated its employees. The firefighters said they spent decades serving the community before retiring without the pensions they had been promised.
“I figure we ought to be compensated with something,” former Ford Heights firefighter Elijah Franklin said.
Robert McMath, who worked as a Ford Heights deputy fire chief from 1972 until his retirement in 2022, recalled being told, “It wasn’t no pension.”
“We all were promised that we were going to have a pension, but it didn’t happen,” McMath said.
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Former Ford Heights Fire Capt. Edward Griffin said the allegations were particularly upsetting in light of the village’s treatment of its firefighters.
“Should’ve been my money. Instead, they going gambling and stuff. Take care of their people. Take care of their workers,” Griffin said.
Michael McMath, the former deputy fire chief’s son, also spoke out about what he described as the village’s failure to support his father.
“At the end of the day, my father dedicated 50 years of his life protecting this community as fire chief, doing the job perfectly. But, the village completely failed to do theirs,” he said.
McMath’s relatives and friends have since gathered around him to offer their support.
The case comes against a backdrop of ongoing challenges in Ford Heights. The village has operated without its own police department since 2008, and former Mayor Charles Griffin resigned two years ago after being convicted of misusing public money.
“The abuses of power alleged in this case are an affront to the people of Ford Heights, who deserve to have their elected officials conduct themselves with honesty and integrity,” Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart said. He praised Raoul for making the investigation a priority and said his department was proud to assist with the arrests.
Requests for comment sent to the village and current Mayor Freddie Wilson were not returned.
The defendants are expected in court for arraignment Sept. 30. Authorities have not disclosed when the alleged scheme began or how long it may have continued.
