Widow of Illinois officer accused of assisting in scheme

Detective Chris Covelli, left, of the Lake County Sheriff’s office speaks aabout the wife of disgraced Fox Lake police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz.

Melodie Gliniewicz booking photo via Lake County Sheriff’s OfficeWAUKEGAN, Ill.

Melodie Gliniewicz, 51, is now facing a total of six charges, according to an official press release, including “three counts of Disbursing Charitable Funds without Authority and for Personal Benefit, one count of Disbursing Charitable Funds without Authority and for Personal Benefit, one count of Money Laundering, and one count of Money Laundering”.

– Monday, Sept. 7: Hundreds of police officers from around the country attend Gliniewicz’s funeral with a mile-long procession through Fox Lake.

Gliniewicz died in September by a “carefully staged suicide” after the police veteran committed what authorities described as “extensive criminal acts” over several years.

His death that appeared to be a homicide triggered a massive manhunt but in November authorities announced that Gliniewicz had killed himself after realizing his scheme was about to be discovered by authorities killed himself.

Melodie Gliniewicz, 52, was charged on Wednesday with acting alongside her husband in making non-business related transactions by illegally withdrawing money from a Fox Lake Police Explorer Post bank account.

Melodie Gliniewicz, who served as an adviser to her husband at the Explorers post, was indicted on three counts of disbursing charitable funds without authority and for personal benefit, one count of disbursing charitable funds without authority and for personal benefit, and one count of money laundering. But her attorneys say that she was just a “victim of her husband’s secret actions”, the Tribune reported.

A Lake County judge issued a warrant for her arrest with bond set at $50,000. The Explorer program teaches teens about law enforcement.

The wife of a northern IL police officer who authorities say killed himself after embezzling from a youth program. exchanged text messages that may have contributed to a grand jury indictment of the widow.

Gliniewicz turned herself in to authorities Wednesday afternoon. “It is my hope the community can continue healing and rebuilding”.

He described the suspects as two white men and a black man to dispatchers.

Gliniewicz: “Used the exploder acct for the flight, $624.70”.

Joseph Gliniewicz had overseen the post for more than 20 years.

He continued to his son: “So if called on the carpet i can say, “we give our explorers and advisors loans from time to time if it is needed, and this is proof it is being pa(i)d back”(.) you get (where) I’m (coming) from?”