Fox Lake's Lt. Gliniewicz may have arranged 'sham marriage' between son, mistress, report says

ByABC7 Eyewitness News WLS logo
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Report: Fox Lake cop may have arranged 'sham marriage' between son, mistress
Fox Lake Police Lt. Joe Gliniewicz may have arranged a "sham marriage" between his alleged mistress and his son, Donald "D.J." Gliniewicz, according to a report.

FOX LAKE, Ill. (WLS) -- Fox Lake Police Lt. Joe Gliniewicz may have arranged a "sham marriage" between his alleged mistress and his son, Donald "D.J." Gliniewicz, according to a report.

A Chicago Sun-Times report claims DJ Gliniewicz married his father's mistress to get thousands of dollars in extra benefits, including health care and pay, from the Army. Court records show DJ Gliniewicz and Kathryn Grams were married on July 23, 2013. A month later, they reported living apart. They were divorced by December 2014.

When Grams lived in Ingleside, which is just east of Fox Lake, a neighbor, who did not want to be identified, said she saw Officer Gliniewicz at Gram's home almost every afternoon.

"I knew what the guy was doing there, which everyone suspected anyway. He just comes in the middle of the day, goes in for an hour, leaves. Put two and two together," the neighbor said.

Donald "D.J." Gliniewicz, son of Fox lake Police Lt. Joe Gliniewicz.

Brian Grams was married to Gliniewicz's alleged mistress for three months in 2008.

"Physically, just got sick... It's absolutely sickening," Brian Grams said. He said his ex-wife volunteered with the Fox Lake Explorers.

"I would go to pick up the kids at the house and he'd be over there in his squad car," Grams said. Following Gliniewicz's death, Grams' family, which owns the Volo Auto Museum, wanted to help so they held an online auction for a tribute car.

"We're not asking for the money back. The kids aren't responsible for his decisions or bad choices," Grams said.

ABC7 Eyewitness News spoke with Kathryn Grams over the phone Friday. When told reporters had the divorce file, she said "I guess you have all the information you need then."

Gliniewicz's son, wife under investigation

DJ Gliniewicz and his mother, Melodie Gliniewicz, are under investigation in connection with Officer Gliniewicz's criminal activity. Earlier this week, authorities investigating Officer Gliniewicz's death announced it was a "carefully staged suicide" to cover up years of embezzlement from the Fox Lake Police Explorers program. Just yesterday, officials released statements where Gliniewicz attempted to arrange a hit on Fox Lake Village Administrator Anne Marrin . Marrin was taking inventory on the Explorers.

Officer Gliniewicz's shooting death on September 1, 2015, sparked a massive manhunt for three suspects. Thomas Corso, Manuel Vargas and Preston Shrewsbury, who were seen in the area, were taken into police custody.

"It never crossed my mind this would ever happen in my life. I just went to get something to eat, get some money to pay a cell phone bill and all hell broke loose. It was just a regular morning. That's all it was," Vargas said.

"Fifteen of them. Assault rifles. They rip his blanket off and say, 'Got any weapons on you?'" Shrewsbury said.

All three men were eventually cleared after a restaurant receipt gave them a "rock solid" alibi, according to Commander George Filenko, who led the task force investigating Gliniewicz's death.

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