Dolton, Ill. (ECWd) –

According to recent bankruptcy filings of Keith Freeman, the Village Manager of Dolton, Illinois, and employee of Thornton Township, Freeman’s only employment is Thornton Township.

We emailed Freeman on Feb 5th at both his township and village email addresses seeking clarification of his filing, and asking if it was a mistake – he has not responded.

According to the January 29, 2024, 2-week village payroll, Freeman’s payroll for this pay period was $3,846.15 with no Social Security or Medicare taken out of his check. The monthly income would be around $7,692.30. *This data came from a whistleblower, and we are unable to verify it at this time since the village refuses to provide these records to us under the Freedom of Information Act. We do believe it to be accurate.

Freeman’s per-pay-period income from Thornton Township is $2,692.32 according to the township’s December 2023, payroll. Monthly would be around $5,384.64. *This data came from a whistleblower, and we are unable to verify it at this time since we have not received this data under the Freedom of Information Act, and public release of it by the township is basically nonexistent. We do believe it to be accurate.

However, according to “Schedule I: Your Income” on his Petition for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy filed on January 3, 2024, his sole employment is Thornton Township as Municipality Manager. His “estimated monthly income” from that one and only job is listed as $5,833.36. He did list “Other Monthly Income” as reimbursements in the amount of $2,345.00, with a total monthly income (take home) listed as $7,167.67. Freeman was required to file an additional sheet for any additional jobs held, but none were filed.

Under another schedule for his Chapter 7 filing, Freeman listed his total monthly income as $8,283.36.

Regardless, according to our calculations, his monthly income exceeds $15,000 when we add up his payments from the Village of Dolton and Thornton Township, and his monthly “reimbursement” payment from the township.

On Feb 6th, we asked Freeman and his bankruptcy attorney to review this article for any inaccurate statements, they have yet to respond to our email request for comment. As of late last night, there were no amendments to his court filings.

This bankruptcy filing could become problematic, and we urge Mr. Freeman to amend it to reflect his actual income from all sources.