Village of Franklin says $989,990 taken in fraudulent wire transfers; FBI involved

President David Goldberg opened the meeting with a public statement confirming that documents released via a records request had been altered and circulated on social media, prematurely exposing nonpublic material. He said the village reported the matter to law enforcement and that "fraudulent wire transfers were made from the village's general fund account resulting in a loss of $989,990." Goldberg said a portion of the funds has been recovered and that recovery efforts are ongoing.

Goldberg said the village is working with local law enforcement and that the chief of police "immediately contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation," and that the village is pursuing both criminal and civil remedies to recover remaining funds. He asked the public for patience, saying specific operational details are being withheld "to protect the integrity of the investigation and our recovery efforts." "Protecting public funds is a top priority," he said.

Council members did not take action on the floor beyond acknowledging the statement; staff and the president said they will provide updates consistent with law-enforcement guidance. The statement emphasized that there was "no compromise of any resident's personal information" and that disclosing additional details at this time could interfere with recovery and investigative steps.

The council did not provide names of suspects in the meeting; the president said that the village is "actively pursuing all available legal remedies, including both criminal and civil actions to recover the remaining funds." The village will share further updates as appropriate and as they do not hinder the ongoing law-enforcement work.