April 18--Fox Lake's police pension board met Monday morning to begin the process of determining if Melodie Gliniewicz will get her late husband's pension.
But first the board must decide if the village of Fox Lake -- whose police department employed Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz for 30 years before he took his life last September -- can intervene in the matter.
The pension board scheduled a hearing for next month to hear arguments on the village's involvement in the case -- an indication that the process will be deliberative and could take some time.
Authorities initially said they thought Joe Gliniewicz, who was found shot to death in a wooded area of the boating community, might have been killed by three men he had said he was following. Investigators later announced they believe he shot himself, but attempted to make it look like a homicide, as his theft from the local Explorers youth policing program was about to be exposed.
About four months after his death, his widow was charged with money laundering and misuse of charitable funds, also related to the Explorers money.
Melodie Gliniewicz, 51, who has pleaded not guilty, later applied with the village to receive her husband's pension.
With his long tenure with the department, Joe Gliniewicz's pension could be worth more than $2 million if payouts were made for 30 years.
But whether his widow will receive it -- given the criminal charges against her and the fact that Joe Gliniewicz was never convicted of a felony -- is unclear. Public pension experts say the case is uncharted territory and that current laws don't provide a clear map for such a situation.
tbriscoe@tribpub.com
