New Lenox Man Charged With Multiple Felonies: Police

NEW LENOX, IL — The Will County Sheriff's Office has arrested a New Lenox man and charged him with multiple felonies in connection with businesses that he ran out of Frankfort, according to the Will County Sheriff's Office.

William L. Vranicar, 59, was arrested Feb. 18 and charged with five counts of theft by deception, three counts of continuing a financial crimes enterprise, two counts of money laundering, two counts of financial institution fraud, loan fraud, State benefits fraud and home repair fraud, according to a Facebook post Friday by WCSO.

The charges stem from a year-and-a-half long investigation by WCSO into Vranicar and his three Frankfort cabinetry businesses — Express Cabinetry Incorporated, Top Notch Incorporated, and Express Kitchen and Bath, which all were run out of the same address, 9500 Monee-Manhattan Road in Green Garden Township — between 2019 and 2022, according to WCSO.

Vranicar would sign contracts with customers for various home repair projects, according to WCSO, but would then defraud his customers using various "schemes." Vranicar would either take money from customers and not begin work or begin the work and not finish, according to WCSO.

Related: Frankfort Contractor Slammed By Customers, Police Reports Filed

Dozens of Will County residents were defrauded by Vranicar for a total of more than $100,000, according to WCSO.

Vranicar was also receiving unemployment benefits from the Illinois Department of Employment Security while he ran his businesses, collecting tens of thousands of dollars in benefits, according to WCSO.

"Detectives with the Will County Sheriff’s Office left no stone unturned in this complex financial crimes investigation," said Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley. "There is a reason why the Will County Sheriff’s Office has a very successful financial crimes section working within the department. The work done in this case and in similar financial cases should serve as a warning to those individuals wanting to scheme and exploit money from the hard working people of this county."