Melodie Gliniewicz pleaded guilty Friday morning to one felony count of deceptive practices in connection with financial misdeeds committed by her late husband, Joseph Gliniewicz, a former Fox Lake police officer.
Joe Gliniewicz staged his own death on Sept. 1, 2015, to appear as if he’d been gunned down in the line of duty in order to head off revelations that he’d been stealing money from a police youth program.
Melodie Gliniewicz’s guilty plea is part of a deal her legal team made with prosecutors to avoid the trial set to start Tuesday.
The charge is a felony punishable by up to three years in prison. But prosecutors said Friday they would argue for a sentence of felony probation. Gliniewicz’s attorneys will argue she should receive what is called second-chance probation, an option for some first-time offenders.
Attorney Don Morrison of Kelleher + Holland LLC, part of Gliniewicz’s legal team, said the difference between the two punishments is that regular felony probation would result in a conviction on her record for the rest of her life. But if the judge decides she deserves second-chance probation and successfully completes the requirements, the case essentially would be dismissed.
Judge James Booras will make that decision at a sentencing hearing on April 12. Booras said Friday that while it is not “etched in stone,” he strongly will consider sentencing Gliniewicz to second-chance probation.
Read more at dailyherald.com.
