An Elmwood Park police sergeant has been relieved of his police duties amid allegations he forged a $20,000 check from an elderly man with dementia.
Although no criminal charges have been filed, Sgt. John Wasilenko has been put on administrative leave, pending the investigation after being named in a citation to discover assets filed Dec. 20 by Cook County Public Guardian Robert F. Harris.
During the investigation, the 85-year-old victim admitted he gave about $2,000 in cash to Wasilenko, but couldn’t remember when. He said Wasilenko “protected” him from “a lot of bad guys and politicians in Elmwood Park.” He said he was giving Wasilenko money for a trip and was supposed to give him $6,000 over the next couple years, the citation said.
In an independent medical evaluation conducted in March, a doctor noted the man suffered from dementia with very significant cognitive deficits and was “totally incapable of making person and financial decisions.”
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Cop accused of stealing $20k from elderly man with dementia
4 comments:
This cop should receive the strictest penalty possible.
Shame on him.
Taking advantage of his position for self serving interest: profiting from an elderly person shame shame shame on you Sgt. John Wasilenko and I have to ask is this the first time this person with a badge gained something in some manner from his position of respect and honor which he disrespected and brought dishonor.
I hope criminal charges will be forthcoming. In addition, this selfish act by a police office thrust this 85 year old victim into a guardianship which is a life sentence for this elderly gentleman who will leave this earth as a ward of the state.
Predators and their prey.
Yes, the cop should be facing criminal charges. However, what worries me more about this situation is the involvement now of the public guardian. Having first-hand knowledge of the situation in the Cook County Probate Court, it is safe to say that the rest of this gentlemen's estate will now be depleted in attorney's fees and guardian's fees.... all in the name of "protecting the ward"...
The Cook County Public Guardian places wards' estates in OBRA Special Needs Pooled trusts, places the wards in Medicaid nursing homes (that are owned by court-favored nursing home owners), and then the entire estates are depleted in atty's fees and guardian sees....
God help this poor man now... his problems are much bigger than what the cop did to him....
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