The son of an Illinois police officer will not face charges linked to his father’s embezzlement of funds due to lack of evidence, authorities said.
Fox Lake Police Lt. Joe Gliniewicz, who killed himself last year, tried to stage his suicide as a murder.
He was hailed as a hero killed in the line of duty — until authorities discovered he feared imprisonment for misuse of funds from a police youth program.
His son, Donald “D.J.” Gliniewicz, was under investigation, but the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said the financial investigation is over, spokesman Christopher Covelli said.
While the pair exchanged text messages, investigators cannot prove the son had prior knowledge that money from his father came from the youth program’s account, Covelli said Thursday,
Wife indicted
The police lieutenant’s widow, Melodie Gliniewicz, was charged with money laundering this week.
Gliniewicz’s widow served as an adviser for the youth program, and used funds from the Police Explorer Post for personal expenses, authorities said.
“Detectives determined this money was used to finance a number of personal expenses and personal finances,” Lake County Undersheriff Ray Rose said in a statement.
Misappropriated funds paid for expenses such as a trip to Hawaii and charges at Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Fox Lake Theatre, according to authorities.
Melodie Gliniewicz’s attorneys denied she was part of the money laundering scheme.
“Considering Melodie’s cooperation with law enforcement, she is devastated by the decision to bring charges against her,” her attorneys said in a statement.
‘G.I. Joe’
Army veteran Joe Gliniewicz had worked for the Fox Lake Police Department since 1985. Locals nicknamed him “G.I. Joe.”
Authorities concluded his shooting was self-inflicted after investigators recovered text messages he had deleted from his cell phone.
Those text messages indicated an alleged embezzlement scheme in which the police lieutenant absconded with charitable funds from the Explorer Post.
The text messages revealed how he became panic stricken when a new village administrator demanded an accounting of the youth program’s finances and property.
The Police Explorer Post encouraged youngsters to explore careers in law enforcement and the military.
Unidentified expenses
In June last year, Gliniewicz sent a text to “Individual #1” saying he used money from the account for a $624.70 flight. CNN later learned that “Individual #1” was his wife.
In a message to his son last year, he pointed to unidentified expenses of $1,600 and $777.
“You are borrowing from that ‘other’ account, when you get back youll have to start dumping money into that account or you will be visiting me in JAIL!! The 1600 and the 777 all came from there,” Joe Gliniewicz texted.
In ensuing texts, Joe Gliniewicz became increasingly desperate, telling his son how much was at stake.
“I’m sticking my neck out there with loaning you over $2377.00,” one message read.
Melodie Gliniewicz was indicted Wednesday on six counts accusing her of participating in her husband’s stealing of charitable funds. She turned herself in Wednesday, and was freed on bail, CNN affiliate WGN reported.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said the financial investigation is closed.
No one else will be charged, it said.
