Prosecutors in northern Illinois are contacting attorneys whose clients pleaded guilty or were convicted in cases involving a police officer who authorities say killed himself after years of embezzling from a police-sponsored youth program.
The notifications from Lake County State's Attorney Mark Nerheim's office present defense attorneys with the opportunity to file motions or pursue other action after Fox Lake Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz's suicide and thefts were revealed, The (Waukegan) News Sun reported.
Nerheim said he received a report Tuesday listing all of the cases in which Gliniewicz was mentioned in police reports. There were 13 prosecutions involving Gliniewicz since 2008 and seven cases resulting in dismissed charges since 2006, the prosecutor said.
Nerheim said he wants to be sure all defense attorneys involved have been notified before revealing details of the cases.
Gliniewicz's Sept. 1 shooting death set off a massive manhunt for three men suspected in his killing. But last week Fox Lake officials announced that Gliniewicz staged his suicide to look like he'd been killed in the line of duty. He killed himself, they say, because he believed his theft money from the youth program was about to be exposed.
Authorities also are investigating Gliniewicz's wife, Melodie, and son D.J., an official who was briefed on the investigation told the AP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.
Meanwhile, officials with BMO Harris Bank told the (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald they have frozen the main memorial bank account created after Gliniewicz's death when it was suspected he was a victim of homicide. Bank officials haven't disclosed how much money is in the account.
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One campaign built around T-shirt sales raised nearly $130,000 for the official Lt. Joe Gliniewicz Memorial Fund at BMO Harris Bank, according to the social fundraising site Booster.
A Harley Davidson dealership sponsored a memorial ride that raised $14,700 for the family and $2,400 for the police Explorer post Gliniewicz ran. Both of those checks were made out to the official memorial fund at BMO Harris.
Other money went directly to the family, including a $15,000 check from the 100 Club of Chicago, which aids surviving relatives of officers killed in the line of duty. That organization is trying to recover the money.
Lake County Sheriff Detective Christopher Covelli said authorities are trying to determine the sponsors of Gliniewicz charity efforts so those who want their donations returned know who to contact.
