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 Fox Lake Police Lieutenant Charles Joseph Gliniewicz used public
funds for personal purchases, stealing and laundering money over the
past seven years, and forging signatures on documents, Lake County
Major Crime Task Force Commander George Filenko said.
The investigation "strongly indicates criminal activity on the part
of at least two other individuals," Filenko said, adding that
because the investigation was ongoing he would not comment further.
Gliniewicz, 52, misused thousands of dollars to pay for personal
travel, adult websites, mortgage payments, gym memberships, personal
loans and also made cash withdrawals, Filenko said.
Gliniewicz stole at least some of the money from Police Explorers, a
youth training program he helped run, Filenko said.
"There are no winners here," he said. "Gliniewicz committed the
ultimate betrayal to the citizens he served and the entire law
enforcement community.
 "The facts of his actions prove he behaved for years in a manner
completely contrary to the image he portrayed," Filenko added.
More than 150 local and federal investigators analyzed over 250
pieces of evidence, and reviewed thousands of pages of financial
documents, more than 6,500 pages of text messages from Gliniewicz's
personal and work cell phones, and over 40,000 emails, Lake County
Sheriff's Detective Christopher Covelli said.
"This extensive investigation has concluded with an overwhelming
amount of evidence that Gliniewicz's death was a carefully staged
suicide," Filenko said.
Gliniewicz was concerned after the village of Fox Lake began an
internal audit of inventory that would have led to the discovery of
financial malfeasance, Filenko said.
Gliniewicz, who was experienced in setting up mock crime scenes,
left a staged trail of police equipment, including pepper spray, a
baton and his glasses, to mislead investigators and emergency
workers into believing there had been a homicide, Filenko said.
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There were no signs that Gliniewicz had fought for his life.
Ballistics testing found two gunshots were fired at close range,
Filenko said. Gliniewicz aimed the first shot strategically toward
his bullet proof vest and the second underneath the vest, Filenko
said.
Gliniewicz was found wounded on Sept. 1 after reporting that he was
pursuing three suspects on foot. He later died. One month later,
Filenko said the officer's death was a homicide investigation but
that suicide had not been ruled out.
The shooting drew hundreds of local, state and federal officers to
search around Fox Lake, about 60 miles (100 km) north of Chicago and
near the Wisconsin border. The Federal Aviation Administration
ordered a no-fly zone over the search area.
Hundreds of mourners packed Gliniewicz's September funeral.
Gliniewicz, known as "G.I. Joe," had been described as a hero and
decorated 30-year veteran of the Fox Lake Police Department, and
Illinois state lawmakers honored him with resolutions including one
that said he was killed in the line of duty.
(Additional reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee, Wis.; Dave
McKinney in Chicago; Writing by Suzannah Gonzales; Editing by
Jeffrey Benkoe and Matthew Lewis)
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