He’s accused of stealing overtime pay, but lawyer says East St. Louis cop is a good man

A veteran East St. Louis police officer was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday for allegedly taking thousands of dollars of overtime pay he didn’t earn.

Mario Fennoy , 48, of Lebanon, is accused of taking overtime pay from the East St. Louis Police Department that he didn’t earn for nearly a year. He submitted more than 50 bogus requests claiming more than 200 hours or overtime, according to the indictment.

Fennoy could not be reached for comment. But his attorney, Talmage E. Newton IV, upheld his client’s character, pointing to his record of public service.

“Mario has faithfully served his nation as a soldier with the United States Army and the citizens of East St. Louis for more than 24 years,” Newton said. “He has served East St. Louis in many distinguished roles in the police department, within the community, and in service to his fellow officers as the head of the local police union.”

U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft said Fennoy began submitted false overtime claims in 2018, while he was employed with the East St. Louis Police Department as a patrol sergeant. With the overtime, Fennoy’s salary jumped from $69,382 to more than $200,000.

As to the allegations brought by the grand jury, Newton had no comment.

“We are reviewing the government’s case against him,” he said. “In the meantime, Mario wants the community to know that the police department continues to be dedicated to public safety and the protection of the citizens of East St. Louis.”

The indictment said Fennoy was at home, spending extended periods of time at a secondary residence when he was supposed to be on patrol. If he’s convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in restitution fees.

“Every day, many dedicated police officers report to work in East st. Louis, one of the most impoverished and dangerous jurisdictions in the country to protect and serve the people who live there,” Weinhoeft said.

“Because East St. Louis has a shortage of police officers, many of the police there work considerable overtime hours trying to improve the safety of the community. We strongly support the men and women of law enforcement who work in these difficult circumstances.”

This story was originally published June 20, 2019 at 2:19 PM.