An East St. Louis police officer appeared in federal district court today and pleaded guilty
to obtaining department funds by fraud. Mario H. Fennoy, 48, of Lebanon, Illinois, entered an “open
plea" to the federal indictment returned against him in June, admitting that he falsely submitted
claims for overtime pay for nearly a year while working as a patrol sergeant with the East St.
Louis Police Department.
According to the indictment, while he claimed to be working overtime, Fennoy was actually spending
extended periods of time at a secondary residence in East St. Louis. Fennoy was also accused of
falsely clearing calls and reporting that he had responded to dispatches when, in fact, he never
left the house. From April 2017 to March 2018, he allegedly submitted over 50 bogus requests for
overtime pay totaling over 200 hours.
Fennoy acknowledged in court today that he obtained the overtime compensation by fraud. The
indictment alleges that the false claims significantly increased Fennoy’s earnings, from his base
salary of $69,382 to $205,000 in total wages in 2017. The parties, however, do not have an
agreement as to the total loss.
Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 27, 2020. Fraudulently obtaining money from an organization that
receives federal funds, like the East St. Louis Police Department, carries a maximum sentence of 10
years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Restitution is mandatory.
“The City of East St. Louis is a high crime area served by very dedicated police officers, many of
whom work considerable overtime," said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “Abuse of the overtime
system by one officer should not detract from the important work of the East St. Louis Police
Department as a whole."
The investigation was conducted by the Southern Illinois Public Corruption Task Force, which
consists of agents with the FBI, Internal Revenue Service/Criminal Investigation, and the Illinois
State Police. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman R. Smith. Citizens
are encouraged to report suspicions of public corruption to the Southern Illinois Public Corruption Task Force Tip Line at (618) 589-7373.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
