Fox Lake Police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz died as the result of a "carefully staged suicide," investigators announced Wednesday morning at a news conference.
“We have determined that this staged suicide was the result of extensive criminal acts that Gliniewicz had been committing,” Commander George Filenko, head of the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, told a news conference this morning.
The death of Gliniewicz, 52, on Sept. 1 resulted in a massive manhunt for three suspects the 30-year police veteran had reported he was pursuing. Helicopters and canine units augmented the hundreds of officers who combed the area around the area where Gliniewicz was found mortally wounded.
Filenko said that the subsequent investigation showed Gliniewicz had been "systematically stealing and laundering money" from the Police Explorer Post that he supervised.
Filenko offered an extensive list of expenditures that had been uncovered, apparently using funds from the Explorer Post accounts.
He also cited forged documents used to acquire surplus federal equipment as well as others used when submitting official documents for the Explorer post.
Filenko said investigators reviewed bank statements, emails, texts and other evidence over the course of two months to determine how and where the money -- which he said was "in the five-figure range" -- was spent.
He added that the investigation also implicated at least two other individuals in criminal activity unrealated to the officer's death. That situation is still being investigated, he said.
Filenko said Gliniewicz had significant experience in setting up staged scenarios for the Explorer Post, and the trail of equipment -- Gliniewicz's glasses, a pepper-spray cannister, and an expandable baton -- were consistent with staging the death to look like a homicide.
"There are no winners," Filenko 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."
Gliniewicz died from a catastrophic gunshot wound, according to the Lake County coroner, while another gunshot struck the officer's vest, causing a bruise.
Gunshot residue was found on Gliniewicz's hands and inside his bullet-proof vest, Filenko said. He also said there was no sign of a struggle that should have preceded someone taking Gliniewicz's weapon. That service weapon was found a couple of feet away from Gliniewicz's head.
Fox Lake Village Administrator thanked the investigators for their hard work, noting that village employees had worked equally hard to "provide investigators with information, answer their questions, and support their efforts at every turn.”
She said Gliniewicz had made threats against her personally, which she noted were documented in materials distributed at the news conference.
“When I heard that he (Gliniewicz) was concerned that I was asking tough questions about the Explorer program," Marrin said, "it only confirmed to me that asking the tough questions was the absolute right thing to do. In fact, getting at the truth about the administration of the Explorers program was the only thing that had to be done.”
Marrin said the village fully supports prosecution of anyone "who conspired with Lieutenant Gliniewicz and or has engaged in criminal activity that came at the expense of our community, our police department, and those we serve."
Lake County Sheriff's Detective Chris Covelli says the investigation included members of the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, FBI, Secret Service, Homeland Security, U.S. Marshals Service, and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosive, commonly known as ATF. Covelli provided the following numbers reflecting the extent of the probe:
By the numbers:
- 150 separate investigators working on the case
- 25,000 hours investigated the case
- More than 430 leads examined
- More than 250 pieces of evidence collected and submitted to local and federal crime labs
- More than 6,500 pages of text messages reviewed just from Lt. Gliniewicz’s cell phone
- More than 30,000 phone numbers reviewed
- More than 40,000 emails reviewed
