Bond lowered for New Lenox man jailed on home repair fraud charges

A judge lowered a New Lenox man’s $2.25 million bond in a case where he’s charged with swindling customers out of tens of thousands of dollars through home repair fraud.

On Tuesday, Will County Chief Judge Dan Kennedy set 59-year-old William Vranicar’s new bond at $800,000. Vranicar will need to post 10% of that amount, or $80,000, for his release from the Will County jail.

The $80,000 amount is what Vranciar has been charged with stealing, according to Will County Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Casson.

As of Tuesday, prosecutors have filed a total of 20 felony charges across two criminal cases against Vranicar. He could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted of those charges.

Vranicar has been charged with stealing tens of thousands of dollars from customers in Joliet, Shorewood, Orland Park and Flossmoor through home repair fraud schemes.

Vranicar’s attorney, Jeff Tomczak, requested a $100,000 bond for his client. Tomczak said Vranicar is elderly, had two “actually functioning businesses,” no record of failing to appear in court and no criminal history.

“This is just a travesty for a guy with no criminal history at all,” Tomczak said of Vranicar’s bond.

Casson asked Kennedy to keep Vranciar’s bond at $2.25 million.

“The investigation is still ongoing,” Casson said.

Casson said Vranicar taunted his victims and dared them to come after him. Casson also said Vranicar ran one of his businesses into the ground and then applied for unemployment benefits.

One of the charges against Vranicar alleged he submitted a claim for state unemployment benefits after representing he had been laid off from Express Cabinetry, a company he owns, “due to lack of work, which the defendant knew to be false.”

Vranicar is charged with receiving $11,172 in state unemployment benefits.

Vranicar first was arrested Feb. 18 following an extensive investigation by the Will County Sheriff’s Office of his three businesses at 9500 Monee-Manhattan Road in Green Garden Township, which is south of Frankfort and west of Monee.

Prosecutors also charged Vranicar with fraudulently obtaining an Economic Injury Disaster Loan from the federal Small Business Administration in the amount of $1.9 million. Vranicar is accused of receiving a $8,000 advance on that loan that was deposited in his bank account.