Melodie Gliniewicz gets access to $33,500 donated to her
Melodie Gliniewicz has been granted access to a bank account containing money donated to her in the days after her husband, Fox Lake police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, was found dead.
The account containing more than $33,496 through BMO Harris Bank was a personal bank account for Melodie Gliniewicz and contained donations she received, Assistant State's Attorney Ken LaRue said Monday. The account also contained a final police department paycheck issued to Charles Gliniewicz after his Sept. 1 death.
A motion drafted Thursday to release the bank account was delayed because the judge overseeing the case was not available to sign the order. It was put off until the judge could return to the bench Monday.
A hearing regarding other bank accounts frozen by the Lake County state's attorney's office was delayed, LaRue said. A status hearing on the remaining accounts was set for Jan 5.
The state's attorney's office froze several of Melodie Gliniewicz's personal bank accounts in November due to the ongoing criminal investigation into an embezzlement scam by her husband, who authorities said killed himself. No charges have been filed against Melodie Gliniewicz.
After the initial bank account freeze, authorities released a personal savings account totaling $4,187 to the Gliniewicz family.
Attorneys for Melodie Gliniewicz said in a news release Monday afternoon that her family is thankful the state's attorney's office agreed to the most recent release of money in her account, and her attorneys will continue to cooperate in the investigation into the remainder of the accounts that were frozen.
They also said that given the ongoing investigation, neither Melodie Gliniewicz nor the attorneys will make any further comment on the case.
Authorities say Charles Gliniewicz stole money earmarked for the Fox Lake Law Enforcement Explorer Post 300, which he led as an adviser. Investigators said he killed himself to cover up the thefts of funds from the Explorers.
Lake County Major Crimes Task Force Cmdr. George Filenko, who led the investigation into Charles Gliniewicz's death, said more than $250,000 was funneled through the Explorer fund. Charles Gliniewicz is suspected of stealing "five figures" from the youth program, Filenko said.
According to authorities, Charles Gliniewicz had been using the Fox Lake Explorer bank account "to cover personal expenses on a consistent basis" between September 2008 and April 2015.
Court records show the largest cash withdrawal from the Explorer account was $7,000, and the same amount was deposited into one of Melodie Gliniewicz's accounts. Her attorneys previously denied any wrongdoing or "money laundering" in any of those transactions.
Melodie Gliniewicz's attorneys said in a November news release that she learned her account was frozen when she attempted to purchase gas for her vehicle. Because her funds were frozen, the release said, she was unable to pay her mortgage, doctor bills and other family expenses.