'Hero' officer staged suicide, embezzled from youth program

(AP) — For weeks, investigators said they were searching for the killers of a small-town police officer known as "G.I. Joe."

[...] after an intense and costly manhunt for three phantom suspects came up empty, investigators realized he was something else: A small-time embezzler, who meticulously staged his death to make it look like he was slain in the line of duty.

[...] the 30-year police veteran killed himself on Sept. 1 because his theft of thousands of dollars from a youth program was about to be exposed, authorities revealed Wednesday.

"Gliniewicz committed the ultimate betrayal," announced Lake County Major Crimes Task Force Commander George Filenko, who endured blistering questions from skeptical journalists about his handling of the two-month investigation.

Recovered text messages and other records now show Gliniewicz embezzled from the village's Police Explorer program for seven years, spending the money on mortgage payments, travel expenses, gym memberships, adult websites and loans to friends, Filenko said.

Filenko said he could not reveal more details about these crimes because "the investigation strongly suggests criminal activity on the part of at least two other individuals."

The revelation shocked people in Fox Lake, a village of 10,000 about 50 miles north of Chicago where the 52-year-old married father of four had long been a role model.

Backup officers followed a trail of equipment to the Army veteran's body, about 50 yards from his squad car.

Some 50 suburban Chicago police departments and sheriff's offices assisted, racking up more than $300,000 in overtime and other costs, according to an analysis the Daily Herald published in early October.

The Lake County coroner, Dr. Thomas Rudd, announced on Sept. 9 that Gliniewicz was killed by a "single devastating" shot to his chest, and that he couldn't rule out suicide or an accident.

After his death, pundits called him a victim of an increasingly dangerous environment for police as citizens challenge what they see as overzealous enforcement.