For the first time, the woman at the center of a lawsuit involving Dolton Trustee Andrew Holmes and Mayor Tiffany Henyard issued a recorded public video message Monday detailing what she said happened both during and after a taxpayer-funded business trip to Las Vegas last May. NBC Chicago’s Regina Waldroup reports.
For the first time, the woman at the center of a lawsuit involving Dolton Trustee Andrew Holmes and Mayor Tiffany Henyard issued a recorded public video message Monday detailing what she said happened both during and after a taxpayer-funded business trip to Las Vegas last May.
In the video of her pre-taped statement, provided to NBC Chicago via a link, Fenia Dukes, the mayor’s former assistant, accuses Holmes of having non-consensual sex with her.
In the video Dukes said she is the survivor of an assault and that the time has come to share her story.
"This has been a long journey for me already," she said in the video.
Dukes filed a civil lawsuit against Holmes and Henyard, accusing Holmes of assault and Henyard of retaliation.
"I'm fighting for every woman that's been in my position," she said in the pre-taped video provided to NBC Chicago. "I'm fighting for a sister that doesn't have a voice."
The incident allegedly occurred May 24, 2023, during an economic development trip to Las Vegas that's now under federal investigation. Attending that trip were Henyard, a handful of village and Thornton Township representatives and Holmes, whom Dukes called Uncle Dru.
"He made everyone feel comfortable," Dukes said in the video. "I've even been in places by myself with him ... and he's never gave me an inkling of he'll harm me."
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According to the lawsuit, after dinner and walking the Las Vegas Strip with Holmes, Dukes said she felt disoriented and ultimately blacked out.
"My last memory was me waking up in his room," she said.
The lawsuit details a conversation between Dukes and Officer Byron Miles when they returned from Las Vegas.
Miles was a member of Mayor Henyard’s security detail at the time. Miles claimed Holmes told him he had unprotected sex with Dukes in Las Vegas. The suit also alleges Holmes, in a video call to Miles, showed Dukes partially undressed in his hotel bed.
Miles advised Dukes to seek medical care, according to the lawsuit.
"You were the only one who stood up for me and opened your mouth, and I appreciate you for that," Dukes said of Miles.
According to the lawsuit, Dukes claims she was fired shortly after bringing the accusation against Holmes to Henyard.
Miles was removed from his role in the mayor's security detail and demoted to patrol duty. Miles also filed a civil lawsuit, and the Department of Human Rights launched an investigation.
The village told NBC Chicago in a statement that it conducted a thorough investigation into the allegations, led by an independent third-party company.
The statement went on to say Officer Miles was interviewed and denied knowing anything about these allegations. It said Dukes refused to cooperate with the village's investigation, calling it "nothing more than two disgruntled village employees trying to make off with the taxpayers' hard-earned dollars" and "the village looks forward to defending these allegations."
Holmes did not respond to NBC Chicago's repeated requests for comment.
Dukes said she started a foundation to support women like her.
"If you are a victim, find your way to contact me or my people," she said. "We are going to help you, because you need a voice, and if you don’t have one, I will be."
Dolton trustees hired Lori Lightfoot, Chicago’s former mayor and a former federal prosecutor, to lead an investigation into Mayor Henyard.
