Texts, emails between disgraced Fox Lake cop, wife barred from trial
A Lake County judge on Monday upheld his earlier ruling that text and email messages between disgraced Fox Lake police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz and his wife will be barred from her upcoming trial on conspiracy and money laundering charges.
Melodie Gliniewicz, 52, is accused of helping her husband steal thousands of dollars earmarked for Fox Lake Law Enforcement Explorer Post 300, a youth program founded and led by her husband.
Prosecutors said this spring they planned to introduce text and email messages to show Melodie Gliniewicz was a co-conspirator in the thefts. Judge James Booras last month banned those communications, citing the state's marital privilege laws.
At Monday's hearing in the Lake County Courthouse, prosecutors argued those martial privilege laws don't apply to this case because one spouse isn't being called to testify against the other in the upcoming trial.
Booras disagreed and said the communication is protected.
"Even if they're no longer spouses, the sanctity of that communication is protected," he said.
The ruling puts an added burden on prosecutors who will argue Melodie Gliniewicz took part in her husband's scheme. The Antioch Township resident faces charges of unlawful use of charitable funds, conspiracy and money laundering stemming from the allegations. She has pleaded not guilty.
Theft accusations against the couple surfaced after Joseph Gliniewicz was found shot to death Sept. 1, 2015, in a secluded area of Fox Lake. Investigators initially believed the veteran officer had been killed in the line of duty. However, authorities later revealed he had killed himself and made it appear as if he'd been murdered in an attempt to prevent disclosure of his crimes.
Investigators claim the couple had been using money donated to the Explorer post for their own purposes. Melodie Gliniewicz served as a civilian adviser to the post, authorities said.
Explorer funds was used to pay for a trip to Hawaii, movie tickets, pornography websites, and more than 400 restaurant charges, authorities say.
Melodie Gliniewicz will return to court Monday when the judge is expected to rule on a motion made by her lawyers that argues the charges against her are unconstitutionally vague and therefore the case should be dismissed.