Former Crystal Lake man pleads to theft from an elderly relative, gets one year of probation

A former Crystal Lake man accused of using proceeds of an elderly relative’s condo sale to buy personal items and pay outstanding child support pleaded guilty Monday to a lesser charge and was sentenced to one year of probation, court records show.

Armando M. Guerrero, 47, was accused of spending $147,000 earned from the sale of the relative’s Miami, Florida, condo on himself instead of buying a house for the relative in Illinois as they had agreed, according to the complaint filed in McHenry County court. He was charged with committing the theft on Nov. 21, 2022, involving $100,000 to $500,000 a Class 1 felony, which can carry sentences of four to 15 years in prison but also are probational.

Guerrero pleaded guilty to an amended charge of theft as a Class A misdemeanor, records show. He also is ordered to pay $1,639 in fines and fees and is not to have any contact with the elderly relative named in the case, records show.