Southern Illinois police chief admits selling confiscated motorcycles and keeping money

A former southern Illinois police chief on Monday admitted in an East St. Louis courtroom to selling off items confiscated during criminal investigations and keeping the money for himself.

Included among the items he sold were a pair of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, according to court records.

Anson Fenton, 46, pleaded guilty in the U.S. Court for the Southern District of Illinois to one count each of theft or conversion from a federally funded program and interstate transportation of stolen property. He faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and fines up to $250,000 on each count, according to federal sentencing guidelines.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on July 10.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office strongly supports our police, but we must take decisive action when things like this happen,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “By taking unauthorized possession of forfeited property for his personal benefit, the defendant used his position of trust as police chief to deceive the community he was sworn to protect.”

According to court records, Fenton was chief of the Wayne City Police Department in Wayne County, east of Mount Vernon, from September of 2022 to August of 2023.

Fenton sold two motorcycles – a 2017 Harley-Davidson and a 2000 Harley-Davidson – valued at more than $5,000 and kept the proceeds without authorization from the village’s board of trustees.

He also traded a confiscated 2022 Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle for a 1991 Ford Mustang, which he kept for himself, the court records state. He admitted to driving the Suzuki to Alexandria, Virginia to complete the deal.

The Illinois State Police is leading the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Howard is prosecuting the case.