A federal grand jury in East St. Louis returned an indictment charging the former Wayne City police chief with selling forfeited items confiscated by the department for his personal benefit.
Anson Fenton, 46, of Belle Rive, is facing one count of misapplication of property from federally funded programs and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property.
Asset forfeiture is a legal process to confiscate the means or proceeds of a crime and can apply to a range of property, including money, vehicles, and real estate, among other assets. Wayne City stores forfeited items at the Wayne City Police Department until city officials pass an ordinance to authorize the sale of the property.
“During our investigation, the ISP Special Investigations Unit found evidence of a public official trying to defraud Wayne City,” said Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly. “The public must be able to trust those who work in public service and Illinois State Police will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate violations of the public trust.”
According to court documents, Fenton is accused of selling two motorcycles valued at more than $5,000 and trading one motorcycle for a 1991 Ford Mustang for his personal benefit.
An indictment is merely a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
If convicted, Fenton could face up to 10 years’ imprisonment and fines up to $250,000 per count. Fenton resigned in February. He served with the department for 12 years.
The Illinois State Police is leading the investigation with support from the FBI Springfield Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Weinhoeft is prosecuting the case.
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