Politics & Government
Next Steps For Gliniewicz Pension Argued, Legal Schedule Set Up
Lawyers and Fox Lake Pension Board members met this week as they try to figure out what should be done with Lt. Joe Gliniewicz's pension.
FOX LAKE, IL – The widow of Lt. Joe Gliniewicz could receive between $50,000 to $70,000 annually from her late husband's pension but first, lawyers for the village of Fox Lake and Melodie Gliniewicz and the Fox Lake Pension Board will meet several times in coming months to argue the exact amount she should get, the Daily Herald reports. This past week, a legal schedule was set up on when to meet to discuss the pension, and the group of attornies and pension board members plan to gather again on June 30 with hopes to have a decision on the pension by Sept. 30. But, it's a complex matter.
Joe Gliniewicz died 0n Sept. 1, 2015, and thought his death was first investigated as a homicide authorities later determined he killed himself after embezzling thousands from the Fox Lake Explorer program that he ran.
Now, Melodie Gliniewicz faces criminal charges for the alleged role she played in the embezzlement. She was indicted in January 2016 of money laundering, misuse of charitable funds and conspiracy.
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Experts have said a job-related felony, which Joe Gliniewicz was never convicted of, would be the only factor that could affect an officer's right to a pension, according to the Daily Herald. Otherwise, under state law, the families of officers killed in line-of-duty deaths are eligible for 100 percent of their pension. As for deaths that are not considered "line-of-duty," those families are eligible for 50 to 75 percent of the officer's pension, experts have told the newspaper.
That means, experts said, the family of Joe Gliniewicz could receive anywhere from $50,000 to $70,000 per year from his pension. A Gliniewicz-inspired amendment Illinois pension code passed last August could now block benefits to a person convicted of a felony connected to the late employees' service.
Find out what's happening in Crystal Lake-Caryfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
But it is believed that measure will not affect the Gliniewicz pension, the Daily Herald reports.
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