Gliniewicz’s attorneys fail to unearth new documents on former Fox Lake administrator’s firing

Attorneys for Melodie Gliniewicz tried but failed during a Monday hearing to unearth documents that would shed light on what led to the termination of former Fox Lake Village Administrator Anne Marrin, who is credited with discovering disgraced Fox Lake police Lt. Joe Gliniewicz’s financial misdeeds.

Melodie Gliniewicz is accused of helping her late husband embezzle money from a youth program. Her trial is set to begin Feb. 22.

Gliniewicz’s lawyers claimed the village was holding back documents that would shed light on Marrin’s termination. Lawyers for the village of Fox Lake said they had provided all relevant documents that weren’t protected by attorney-client privilege.

According to village documents obtained by Gliniewicz’s legal team, Marrin was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into her conduct on Jan. 26 of last year. Marrin resigned from the village on March 5.

Fox Lake village employees testified during Monday’s hearing that they complained Marrin had created a toxic work culture pitting village employees against board members.

But none produced any new documents related to Marrin’s termination that the defense hadn’t already been given by the village.

Marrin herself did not testify though Donald Morrison, one of Melodie Gliniewicz’s lawyers, said his team had attempted to get her to do so.

Judge James Booras requested both sides return to court on Feb. 8 to further discuss the documents related to Marrin’s termination.

Authorities allege Joe and Melodie Gliniewicz stole thousands from the Fox Lake Police Department’s Explorer post to pay for personal expenses, including a trip to Hawaii, movie tickets, pornography websites and more than 400 restaurant charges.

The accusations surfaced after Joe Gliniewicz was found shot to death in a secluded area of Fox Lake on Sept. 1, 2015. Investigators initially believed he had been shot in the line of duty but later determined he had killed himself in a bid to prevent exposure of his crimes and made it appear as if he’d been gunned down.

Melodie Gliniewicz is charged with unlawful use of charitable funds, conspiracy and money laundering. She has pleaded not guilty and is free on bail while awaiting trial.

Marrin has been lauded for her role in uncovering Joe Gliniewicz’s misuse of funds. In 2016, Marrin received an award from the Illinois Association of Municipal Management Assistants stemming from her internal financial investigation into Joe Gliniewicz.

Marrin has said she’d been on the job a little more than a year when she started to raise questions about the operations of the Fox Lake police Explorer Post 300 program led by Joe Gliniewicz.

Police said an investigation showed Joe Gliniewicz may have tried to “put a hit” on Marrin because of her probe of the program. The last text message released by authorities and believed to have been sent by Joe Gliniewicz shortly before he died showed him clearly worried about Marrin’s request to inventory the program’s headquarters.

https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20220124/gliniewiczs-attorneys-fail-to-unearth-new-documents-on-former-fox-lake-administrators-firing