A Richmond man admitted to unlawfully possessing a machine gun on Friday was sentenced to six years in prison.

Jerome Ruckdeschel, 67, pleaded guilty to being a felon in unlawful possession of a machine gun, a Class X felony, according to a judgment order filed in McHenry County court by Judge Tiffany Davis.

Ruckdeschel had been scheduled for a trial to begin Monday, records show.

When arrested in 2024, authorities said Ruckdeschel possessed “an arsenal of weapons” found hidden around his home. He was accused of possessing “several handguns of varying caliber, long guns of varying caliber, and shotguns, including ammunition,” according to the complaint.

At an initial court appearance Oct. 16, 2024, where Judge Carl Metz denied Ruckdeschel’s pretrial release from county jail, Metz said the defendant had “built up an arsenal of weapons which included dozens of loaded guns with magazines inserted, hidden all over the house, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.”

Due to a 2007 felony theft conviction in Lake County, Ruckdeschel is not allowed to possess any guns or ammunition, according to authorities. In exchange for the guilty plea, 10 additional weapons charges were dismissed, records show.

At the time Ruckdeschel was charged in this criminal case, he was named in a lawsuit accusing him of embezzling $1.2 million from an elderly relative, court records show. That case was “voluntarily dismissed” with prejudice on Dec. 16, 2024, according to court records.

Ruckdeschel was fined $10,649, records show. He is required to serve his prison term and is receiving credit for time served in jail since his arrest. After his incarceration, he will be on mandatory supervised release for 18 months, records show.