McHenry handyman pleads guilty to stealing $9,000 from elderly couple he worked for

A McHenry handyman pleaded guilty Friday to stealing $9,000 from an elderly couple for whom he was working and was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 48 months conditional discharge, court records show.

Jeremy Krucek, 39, entered a guilty plea to financial exploitation of an elderly person older than 80 totaling more than $5,000, according to an order signed by Judge Mark Gerhardt filed in McHenry County court.

In exchange Krucek’s plea, additional counts were dismissed, including theft and financial exploitation of an elderly person with a disability, records show.

Prosecutors said Krucek was working as a handyman for the couple March 9 through May 5 of 2024. The couple noticed unauthorized withdrawals from their account and called police, who discovered Krucek had made “numerous” transactions from the couple’s bank account, authorities said.

When Krucek was confronted, he said it was a mistake and wrote an apology note saying he had no excuse, a prosecutor said.

Krucek is required to serve half his jail time and was ordered to turn himself in to the county jail July 14. He will recieve credit for two days served after his arrest.