SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIRE January
10, 2014 10:
A west suburban police officer
was arrested Friday and charged with forging a $20,000 check from an elderly
man with advanced dementia.
Elmwood Park Police Officer
John Wasilenko, 39, of Norridge, was taken into custody Friday and charged with
senior financial exploitation and official misconduct, according to a statement
from the Cook County Sheriff’s office.
In December 2012, an
84-year-old man with advanced dementia contacted Brookfield police claiming he
did not write a $20,000 check that was made out to Wasilenko, the sheriff’s
office said.
The man’s account was being
monitored after he had reported an earlier theft that year at his Elmwood Park
home, police said. Wasilenko apparently befriended the man after he was one of
the officers responding to the burglaries.
Wasilenko deposited a $20,000
check written to himself from the man’s account, police said.
Wasilenko was placed on
administrative leave in December after being named in a Citation to Discover
Assets filed Dec. 20 by Cook County Public Guardian Robert Harris.
Wasilenko allegedly called the
bank employee on Dec. 19, 2012, telling her he was a “friend” and “sort of care
giver” for the man, and questioned why his bank account was frozen. He told the
woman he had a personal relationship with the man, and often did favors for
him, like driving him around to various appointments, the citation said.
When the bank employee told
Wasilenko the man had alleged the check was forgery, Wasilenko was heard
yelling at the elderly victim saying, “Why did you tell them it was not your
signature on the check?” the citation alleged.
Wasilenko admitted his name was
on the $20,000 check and that the man gave him the money as a gift, officials
said.. When questioned further about whether he thought taking a check from an
elderly citizen might be misconstrued, “Sgt. Wasilenko responded by stating he
did not think anything was wrong with taking the money,” since he ran errands
for him, according to the citation.
Wasilenko joined Elmwood Park
Police Department in 2004 and was promoted to sergeant in 2008.
Wasilenko is scheduled to
appear in bond court later Friday.
