A former Lake County sheriff’s deputy has been sentenced to public service after authorities say he submitted fake timesheets to get paid for overtime hours he never worked.
Gregory Swanson, 55, of Grayslake, was charged in September with two counts of official misconduct and two counts of theft, which are Class 3 felonies.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said at the time that an audit was conducted in November 2020.
The audit found that Swanson submitted and was paid for overtime he did not work.
Covelli said that Swanson was found to have falsified a number of timesheets for various special overtime details.
The hours amounted to over $4,000 being paid out to Swanson.
Swanson submitted his resignation on December 2, 2020, after learning about the discovery, Covelli said.
The information obtained during the investigation was turned over to the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Swanson surrendered himself to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office after a warrant was issued.
He has been out on bond since his arrest after posting 10% of a $100,000 bond.
Swanson late last month entered into a negotiated plea deal with the state’s attorney’s office.
He pleaded guilty to an amended count of theft under $500, a Class A misdemeanor, in exchange for his felonies being dismissed.
Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak accepted the plea deal and sentenced Swanson to 18 months of conditional discharge and 100 hours of public service, which was agreed to in the deal.
Swanson was ordered to pay $8,331 in restitution in addition to court fines and fees.
Swanson relinquished his Illinois law enforcement certification as part of the plea agreement, prosecutors said in court.