Schedule set for arguments surrounding Gliniewicz pension
A legal schedule to decide how much the widow of Lt. Joe Gliniewicz should receive from the village of Fox Lake in pension payments for her deceased husband has been set.
Members of the Fox Lake Police Pension Board and lawyers from the village of Fox Lake and for Melodie Gliniewicz will meet multiple times in the coming months to argue the exact amount she should receive annually. The final decision on the pension is tentatively expected Sept. 10.
Arguments regarding several legal issues were expected Tuesday in front of the Fox Lake pension board. Attorneys met behind closed doors before the pension board hearing and hammered out a new schedule.
The next hearing is June 30.
Under the law, the spouse of an Illinois police officer killed in the line of duty is eligible for 100 percent of an officer's salary at the time of death. However, families of active officers whose deaths are not considered "line of duty" generally receive at least 50 percent of the officer's salary and up to 75 percent, experts have said.
Joe Gliniewicz was found dead by Fox Lake police officers Sept. 1, 2015. Initially, authorities investigated the death as a homicide, but police later determined he killed himself to cover up financial embezzlement from the police youth Explorer post, where he served as adviser.
Melodie Gliniewicz was charged with unlawful use of charitable funds for personal use, money laundering and conspiracy. She has pleaded not guilty. No trial date has been set in the criminal case because of several delays involving the Illinois appellate court.
Experts have suggested she could receive up to $70,000 annually from her husband's pension, but the pension board could reduce that to about $50,000.
Melodie Gliniewicz filed the paperwork to begin collecting the pension in January 2016. The pension board chose in a previous hearing to defer payments until after her criminal case is completed.
Melodie Gliniewicz again filed a request to start the pension payment process rolling because of the criminal case delays.
The only factor that reduces a police officer's right to a pension is a conviction for a job-related felony, experts have said. Joe Gliniewicz wasn't convicted of crimes before he died, so there may be no loss of rights, experts said.
Legislators have since approved an amendment to the pension code blocking the payment of benefits to a person convicted of a felony connected to the service of a police officer. It is believed the law cannot retroactively apply to the Gliniewicz pension.