Chicago police officer accused of stealing from father

A Chicago police officer has been charged with theft, fraud and financial exploitation of the elderly for stealing $50,000 from his father to pay off bills and gambling debts, authorities said.

Joseph Simpson Jr. is also accused of attempting to steal his father’s retirement savings by impersonating him.

The 69-year-old Kentucky-born Joseph Simpson Sr., who was suffering from dementia and Parkinson’s disease, died in November at a suburban nursing home.

Prosecutors said that between January and October 2009, the 37-year-old Simpson used 15 checks from his father’s bank accounts to pay off bills. He also called JP Morgan Retirement Services and impersonated his father in an attempt to withdraw $102,000 in retirement savings, authorities allege.

Simpson, who turned himself in to Chicago police on Wednesday, was ordered held in lieu of $40,000 bond.