Vranicar's $58,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Faces Forfeiture

Joliet IL

28 March, 2022

6:00 PM

Description

JOLIET, IL — The Will County State's Attorney's Office filed a civil forfeiture complaint last week asking that a judge declare William Vranicar's 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee, plus $867 cash, as a forfeited asset for the police. A court hearing on the matter is set for May 11. According to the forfeiture complaint, Will County Sheriff's Detective Danielle Strohm investigated allegations of a financial fraud scheme involving Vranicar, a New Lenox resident, who owned Express Cabinetry and Top Notch Counters. Both businesses are in Frankfort. Vranicar, "established a pattern of poor workmanship and failing to complete projects for numerous customers who paid him for the work," the forfeiture reads. On Feb. 18, Will County sheriff's detective seized Vranicar's 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee because the vehicle "is believed to be an asset" in violation of the Illinois Money Laundering Act, court records show. When Vranicar and his wife bought the new Jeep last Sept. 24 for $57,993, they traded in their 2019 Ford F-150 SuperCrew and made a down payment of $5,000 "with a check written on the Top Notch Counters First Midwest Bank account and signed by William Vranicar," the forfeiture stated. On Feb. 18, sheriff's deputies raided Vranicar's house on James Pass in New Lenox, and $867 was seized along with the Jeep Grand Cherokee parked in the garage. "The Jeep was towed from the scene to the Will County Sheriff's Office," the forfeiture noted. According to the complaint, "William Vranicar had been involved in widespread felony theft by deception and home repair fraud, whereby he would execute schemes to defraud victims. These schemes involved taking money for construction and or demolition work and then failing to perform or fully perform the work." The proceeds from the crimes were used to pay in part for the Jeep Grand Cherokee, registered to Vranicar, and to obtain equity in the 2019 Ford F-150 SuperCrew, the complaint stated. As for Vranicar, he remains in the Will County Jail, unable to post $25,000 cash. Through the efforts of his criminal defense attorney Jeff Tomczak, Vranicar's bail has been reduced from $2,225,000 to $250,000 since he was booked into the Will County Jail on Feb. 18. Related Patch coverage: Home Repair Fraud Defendant Deserves Much Lower Bail: Tomczak New Lenox Man Charged With Multiple Felonies: Police