Melodie Gliniewicz pleaded guilty Friday to one felony count of deceptive practices, avoiding trial which was set to begin Tuesday.
The charge is punishable by up to three years in prison, but prosecutors said Friday they would argue for a sentence of felony probation.
As part of the deal all other charges against Gliniewicz were dropped. Gliniewicz initially was charged with four counts of disbursing charitable funds without authority for personal benefit or use, and two counts of money laundering.
Her punishment on the plea deal will be determined by Judge James Booras at a sentencing hearing set for April 12.
Gliniewicz was accused of helping her late husband embezzle money from a Fox Lake police youth program. Investigators said Joe Gliniewicz staged his suicide on Sept. 1, 2015, because he’d been stealing from the Fox Lake Police Department’s Explorer post to pay for personal expenses, including a trip to Hawaii, movie tickets, pornography websites and more than 400 restaurant charges.
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