NOTE: Read the transcript of text and Facebook messages reported by Lake County investigators below.
Text and Facebook messages said to be a key part in the investigation into a veteran Fox Lake police officer's death were released Wednesday, moments after investigators made explosive claims that the officer's fatal shooting was a "carefully staged suicide" and "the end result of extensive criminal acts."
Lake County Major Crimes Task Force Commander George Filenko revealed Wednesday that Lt. Joseph Gliniewicz had been stealing and laundering money from the Fox Lake Police Explorer Post over the past seven years, using thousands of dollars for personal purchases, mortgages, travel expenses, gym memberships, adult websites and to facilitate person loans. He also said Gliniewicz forged signatures in official documents.
In total, officials said 6,500 pages of text messages from Gliniewicz's personal and work phones were reviewed during the investigation.
Filenko alleged Gliniewicz made incriminating statements in text messages that were deleted prior to his suicide.
Among the messages are statements from Gliniewicz claiming he used money from the Explorer account to pay for a $624.70 flight. Another one claims that if the Fox Lake Village Administrator "gets ahold of the checking account I'm pretty well [expletive]."
Fox Lake Village Administrator Anne Marrin noted that some of the messages reviewed in the investigation were "a threat to me personally."
"When I heard that he was concerned that I was asking tough questions about the police explorer program, it only confirmed to me that asking the tough questions was the absolute right thing to do," she said. "In fact, getting at the truth about the administration of the explorer's program was the only thing that had to be done."
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The investigation also "strongly indicates criminal activity" from at least two other people, Filenko said, but he declined to comment further as an investigation into that claim is ongoing.
"There are no winners here. Gliniewicz committed the ultimate betrayal to the citizens he served and the entire law enforcement community," Filenko said.
Below is a transcript of text and Facebook messages reported by Lake County investigators. Please note the messages are typed exactly as they were by the respective parties, as released by Fox Lake officials.
3/27/15 – Messages between Gliniewicz and an LFL Executive
JG: “Between you and I, I’m having a great deal of problems with our new village administrator. I’ve had a talk with the chief and he agrees with me. Does the PD have to be the sponsor for the post? I’ve done some research and it’s not evident anywhere that a law enforcement organization has to sponsor an LE post. In fact I’ve seen 3 at competitions that were sponsored by other entities, and even a FD. Thoughts???”
LFL: “No you don’t have to be chartered by the city. Is there a rotary or something out there that would be supportive”
JG: “Yes, I’m working that issue today and through the weekend.. We have a new village administrator that is a power monger and is trying to control everything in the village. We are all looking at our pd retirement options and I need to move the post out of that span of control at least till this person’s contract is up.”
JG: “Thanks and what would you need since we are rechartering, just the organization and organization head info/signature? I’m keeping this under wraps for now, only you the chief, my wife and myself know this and I current want to keep it that way until the final decision is made”
4/14/15 – Messages between Gliniewicz and Individual #1
JG: “I talked to him again, and now thinks this is a knee-jerk reaction, and that when we put in our 2 wks, or set a retirement date, then he will move it…”
#1: “Omfg and in the mean tiem she can do what she wants f***ing a”
#1: “Maybe seeing as we are our on 503c she can’t touch the money and maybe a letter on file from behan stating all is our and the pd and village have no claim”
JG: “Nope, as long as we are sponsored by the pd, and after she makes the village structure change she will have the means and ability to do as she wishes”
#1: “Does he inderstand that then? And maybe we need to hide the funds some how”
05/13/15 – Messages between Gliniewicz and Individual #1
JG: “She hates me and I’ve never said more than 3 sentences to her in the year shes been here… hates the explorer program and is crawling up my ass and the program, chief wont sign off to move it to American legion and if she gets ahold of the checking account, im pretty well [expletive]”
#1: “Hopefully she decides to get a couple of drinks in her and she gets a dui”
JG: She does, but not around here and no one knows where. Trust me ive thoughit through MANY SCENARIOUS from planting things to volo bog!!!”
06/22/15 – Messages between Gliniewicz and Individual #1
JG: “Used the explorer acct for flight, $624.70. IT can wait for awhile, their acct is sitting at $3000’ish now”
06/25/25 – Messages between Gliniewicz and Individual #2
JG: “You are borrowing from that ‘other’ account, when you get back youll have to start dumping money into that account or you will be visiting me in JAIL!! The 1600 and the 77 all came from there…”
JG: “And FYI, all but 1500 of everything borrowed came from that ‘other’ acct, hence why I closed the us bank and opened bmo acct to keep it from being traced… Nad making p300 their own 501c3, no longer considered a village acct.”
06/26/15 – Messages between Gliniewicz and Individual #2
JG: I’m sticking my neck out there with loaning you over $2377.00 to fix your truck specifically and only to help accommodate your summer leave, trip to OK. I would not have otherwise. I can’t even pay for state now cause their account is down to %1578.72, and that’s 4 bodies and 2 advisors at $450 a piece!! Not to mention the $3,055.72 still left to pay for their uniforms… I will need you to do an allotment to their account, at min $100 a month VERY SOON!!
JG: “So if called on the carpet I can say, “we give our explorers and advisors loans from time to time if it is needed, and this is proof it is being paid back” you get whwre I’m coming from? This village administrator hates me and the explorer program. This situation right here would give her the means to CRUCIFY ME it it were discovered. Compound this with “if" I was selected for chief of antioch, i would be leaving here and would have to turn this account over to someone else…
JG: “the 1600 is undocumented, it was cash from boot camp, so there is no check trial to follow, only our sheet that indicates who attended and if they paid. So thus far there is only the check I wrote last night to you that says “loan” in the memo section. All the rest of your left over $$$ I moved to the old explorer credit card and have been making payments on that when I can. This was all to keep you informed of the gravity of the situation, and the necessity to show repayment.
08/31/15 at 9:14 AM – Message from Gliniewicz to Chief Behan
JG: “She has now demanded a complete inventory of exploder central and a financial report…FML
SUICIDE PREVENTION: The National Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-273-8255) is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
