A crooked police mentor who stole public funds before faking this own murder also abused his position to bully a junior colleague into sex, Daily Mail Online can disclose.
Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, 52, was mourned as a fallen hero in Lake County, Illinois after he was gunned down by ‘armed suspects’ on the eve of his retirement.
But investigators revealed this week that the 30-year veteran shot himself in the chest and staged the crime scene because he feared his corruption was about to be exposed.
Gliniewicz was facing allegations he embezzled a 'five figure sum' from the Explorers youth training scheme and instead spent it on vacations, mortgage payments and adult websites.
His family still insist he was murdered but after calling off the hunt for three suspects, police chiefs confirmed that Gliniewicz likely killed himself rather than face the consequences of his 'ultimate betrayal'.
Allegations also surfaced today that his son - who is also suspected of having knowledge of his death - may have been involved in a sham marriage for financial gain.
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Charles Gliniewicz, 52, killed himself on September 1 after embezzling money from police in Fox Lake, Illinois, for seven years. Before his death he tried to track down a hitman to kill a village administrator who was preparing to expose his embezzling
He believed administrator Anne Marrin, right, was preparing to expose him as an embezzler and he wanted to have her killed by a gang member
Looking for clues: Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz's wife Mel (center) and four sons join hundreds at a vigil in Fox Lake, Illinois, after his death. The Gliniewicz family released a statement saying: 'Today has been another day of deep sorrow for the Gliniewicz Family'. Their son D.J. (left in uniform) may have been involved in a sham marriage to his father's ex-lover for financial gain
Victimized: Denise Sharpe Gretz pleaded with Gliniewicz to stop the harassment but 'these sexual favors were strongly encouraged and/or required to protect her job'
In the wake of the revelation, Daily Mail Online can reveal that Gliniewicz's alleged misconduct dates back as far as 2000 when he was accused of sexually harassing a female subordinate.
The disclosure raises fresh questions about the conduct of his department - which never denied the allegations - both before and after his death.
Other details of his personnel file show that in 2009 a letter was sent to then then-mayor, Cynthia Irwin, signed by 'Anonymous Members of the Fox Lake Police Department' and alleging sexual harassment of a dispatcher.
It also claimed he has an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate officer and included complaints from bouncers at local bars for being drunk and belligerent, as well as allegations that he allowed members of the Explorers youth program unsupervised access to the police department and the opportunity to wear clothing labeled 'police.
This is nine years after the most serious and detailed allegations were made against him in a case which his department defended resolutely - without ever denying that he committed sexual harassment.
The personnel file was obtained by the Associated Press but does not appear to mention the extremely detailed account made in federal court by a woman against him.
Denise Sharpe Gretz, a 49-year-old former Lake County officer, accused the heavily-tattooed former soldier of coercing her into performing sex acts on five occasions.
She also accused the married father-of-four of making lewd comments and urinating in front of her, according to a federal lawsuit.
In court documents seen by Daily Mail Online, Sharpe Gretz described how Gliniewicz invited her to a hotel in February 2000 to give her a military uniform he had purchased for her son.
Once there he 'directed her to his hotel room where he gave her a box of chocolates for Valentine's Day.'
Gliniewicz proceeded to rub her shoulders before pressuring Sharpe Gretz into performing oral sex, according to the complaint filed three years later.
The 'sexual favors' continued for months despite Sharpe Gretz pleading with Gliniewicz, by then a respected sergeant and her commanding officer, that she wanted it to stop.
'Gliniewicz continued during this time to indicate to Petitioner that these sexual favors were strongly encouraged and/or required to protect her job,' the suit alleged.
Digging deeper: Police are looking into whether Melodie and her son D.J. helped Charles Gliniewicz (left) embezzle money from youth programs. His son is also facing a probe into an apparent
'Gliniewicz also indicated that he would help her become an officer in charge in return for these sexual favors.
'In fact, on or about April, 2000, Gliniewicz indicated in a written report that Petitioner was developing the skills necessary to become an officer in charge'.
The complaint stated that Gliniewicz would ask Sharpe Gretz to meet him behind a business and he would 'often be urinating' when she arrived.
HOW HE USED THE EXPLORERS
Police have suggested Gliniewicz used his experience staging crime scenes in the Explorers program to set up his own in a bid to convince officers it was a homicide.
Officers say Gliniewicz took a 'five-figure sum' from the Explorers program over seven years, spending the money on loans, holidays, gym membership and porn.
Police say that before Gliniewicz shot himself he laid out his baton, pepper spray and personal glasses to mislead officers and make it look like there was an altercation.
He then 'strategically aimed' two gunshots so that it hit his cell phone and bulletproof vest.
'One comment Gliniewicz would make when Petitioner found him was that he could have used her help,' it said.
Sharpe Gretz resigned from the Explorers program but said her former supervisor harassed her and bullied her into performing oral sex on one further occasion in a conference room in October 2000.
She reported Gliniewicz to the then-Chief of Police, Edward Gerretson, who suspended Gliniewicz for 30 days and ordered him to attend sexual addiction counseling, according to the suit.
However she subsequently accused the department of sexual discrimination because she was 'berated for being a whiner' and victimized over minor mistakes such as forgetting her gun.
The female officer quit the Village of Fox Police Department in August 2001 before launching an action for wages lost, emotional damages and punitive damages.
The complaint was eventually dismissed because Sharpe Gretz repeatedly failed to meet discovery deadlines.
However the Village of Fox Lake did not specifically rebuff her allegations, arguing instead that she did not suffer any 'tangible, adverse employment action as a result of the alleged hostile environment.'
Sharpe Gretz, who now lives in Somerset, Kentucky, did not respond to a request for comment on what police have described as Gliniewicz's 'carefully staged suicide'.
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ShareHowever she did take to Facebook to discuss a news clipping about his demise, writing: 'When your put on such a high pedestal, people don't want to believe the truth!!! Now the burden is on his family. So sad!'
Police believe that fitness fanatic Gliniewicz had been plundering funds from the Explorers for at least seven years before he shot himself with his own weapon on September 1.
Investigators believe he used his experience of crime scenes to set up his own in a bid to convince officers it was a homicide.
He radioed colleagues to report that he was chasing three suspicious men on foot before laying out his baton, pepper spray and glasses make it look like there was a struggle.
Gliniewicz then 'strategically aimed' two gunshots into his bulletproof vest, one of which penetrated an artery and killed him.
His death prompted an outpouring of support, with thousands lining the roads during his funeral (above)
George Filenko, commander of the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, (right) confirmed Gliniewicz had been stealing and laundering money from the Explorers program on Wednesday
Mel Gliniewicz (above), the wife of the slain officer, has refused to accept the possibility of suicide
Backup arrived to find his body 50 yards from his squad car and a massive manhunt outside of Chicago ensued, though doubts emerged after no arrests were made and no suspects identified.
Police chiefs eventually called off the search after scouring 6,500 pages of text messages, 40,000 emails and over 1,000 bank documents and concluding he took his own life rather than face the repercussions from 'various illicit activities'.
An ongoing inquiry is examining suggestions that Gliniewicz tried to hire a hitman to kill a village administrator who was probing the missing funds, which were meant for teenagers who aspired to join law enforcement.
Detectives say he sent a text in April asking a woman to set up a meeting with a 'high ranking gang member to put a hit' on village administrator Anne Marrin.
They think he may also have been plotting to frame Marrin for drug possession after cocaine unconnected to any recorded seizures was found in his office drawer.
The disgraced lawman's wife Melodie and son D.J Gliniewicz are also reportedly being investigated to see if they played any part in embezzling the money.
'The family has cooperated with the Task Force's investigation and will not comment at this time,’ they said in a statement issued through an attorney.
'The Gliniewicz family requests that their privacy be respected as they continue to cope with the loss of the beloved husband and Father.'
Detectives looked at more than 6,500 pages of text messages, 40,000 emails and over 1,000 bank documents following his death and found he was at the center of criminal activity
Mrs Gliniewicz, along with her four sons, have refused to accept the possibility of suicide.
She told Crime Watch Daily: 'I wholeheartedly believe [my husband] was murdered. [To suggest] otherwise is disrespectful, hurtful, irresponsible.
'When the coroner said it could be suicide there was a lot of anger.
'The coroner is an elected person, he did not perform the autopsy.'
Mrs Gliniewicz said the autopsy showed her husband was hit with two bullets, one that was stopped by his bulletproof vest, and another that hit him in the torso.
She said this convinced her he hadn't been trying to kill himself, and claimed that somebody who was committing suicide would not fire twice, or shoot into a vest designed to stop bullets.
But their son D.J., an army lieutenant, is also facing a separate investigation into whether he took part in a sham marriage with Kathryn Grams, who may have been his father's lover.
News channel WGN said sources had told it the dead cop had an affair with the woman and later arranged for her to marry his son, allowing the army officer to collect extra military benefits as a married man.
The marriage ended in divorce shortly before Christmas last year.
More than $300,000 was spent on an investigation into the unsolved shooting death of Gliniewicz according to an October review of personnel records from 50 suburban Chicago police agencies.
About $196,000 of that total was related to overtime, according to an analysis by the Daily Herald.
The review found that departments with employees assigned to the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force had some of the highest costs.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office sent 93 employees to help with the investigation at a cost of nearly $46,000 in overtime.
Mundelein Village Manager John Lobaito, whose suburb spent about $23,000 of taxpayer funds, said it was worth it.
Lake County Major Crimes Task Force spokesman Chris Covelli said that once a major crimes task force investigation starts, it's understood that individual departments will pick up the cost of the employees they send to work on it.
FROM A FALLEN HERO TO A VILLAIN: TIMELINE IN THE CHARLES GLINIEWICZ CASE
— Tuesday, Sept. 1:
7:52 a.m. — Gliniewicz, who is on his way to work, radios to say he has spotted suspicious individuals and is checking them out.
7:55 a.m. — He radios again to say the three men — two white and one black — ran into a swampy area and he is pursuing. He asks for backup.
8:01 a.m. — Two more police officers arrive.
8:09 a.m. — Officers find Gliniewicz's body about 50 yards from his squad car.
— Wednesday, Sept. 2: Hundreds gather at a Fox Lake park for a vigil for Gliniewicz. Authorities use dogs and aircraft to search for suspects.
— Thursday, Sept. 3: Authorities use at least 100 investigators to broaden the hunt from the initial 2-square-mile perimeter.
— Friday, Sept. 4: $50,000 reward offered for capture and conviction of those suspected of killing Gliniewicz.
— Saturday, Sept 5: Lake County Sheriff's Office detective says investigators have recovered new piece of 'significant' evidence.
— Monday, Sept. 7: Hundreds of police officers from around the country attend Gliniewicz's funeral with a mile-long procession through Fox Lake.
— Tuesday, Sept. 8: The Lake County Major Crime Task Force holds a news conference to say a promising lead didn't pan out but that they are trying to identify DNA left at the crime scene.
— Wednesday, Sept. 9: The Lake County coroner says Gliniewicz died of a 'single devastating' gunshot wound, but that it can't rule whether his death was a homicide, suicide or accident.
— Thursday, Sept. 10: Police leading the investigation call the coroner's release of Gliniewicz's cause of death inappropriate and potentially harmful.
— Saturday, Sept. 12: Former Chicago police officer Joseph A. Battaglia is charged with a felony for allegedly threatening the Lake County coroner and investigators unless they categorized Gliniewicz's death as a suicide.
— Wednesday, Sept. 16: Gliniewicz's son, Donald 'D.J.' Gliniewicz, says his father 'never once had a single suicidal thought in his life.'
— Monday, Sept. 21: Police say they received the results of gun residue and ballistics tests but that they don't support or exclude any theories in Gliniewicz's death.
— Thursday, Oct. 1: Police hold a news conference to say Gliniewicz was shot twice with his own weapon and there were signs of struggle at the scene.
— Wednesday, Oct. 13: A woman from a nearby community pleads not guilty to falsely telling police she saw suspects wanted in Gliniewicz's death.
— Tuesday, Nov. 3: The Lake County Sheriff's Office calls a Wednesday news conference to announce the results of its investigation into Gliniewicz's death.
— Wednesday, Nov. 4: Authorities say Gliniewicz elaborately staged his own death and had embezzled thousands of dollars over seven years from the Fox Lake Police Explorers club, which he oversaw. They say he spent the money on mortgage payments, travel and adult websites, among other things.
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