Man accused of identity theft in $15,700 lawn mower purchase in DeKalb County – Shaw Local

A 48-year-old Chicago man is accused of using someone else's identity and a forged check to purchase a $15,700 lawn mower at a DeKalb County store, court records show.

Justin M. Lesniewski was arraigned in DeKalb County Court on August 9 on charges of identity theft, theft and forgery.

The most serious offense, identity theft, is a Class 1 felony that, if convicted, carries a prison sentence of four to 15 years.

The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of suspicious activity at DeKalb Implement, located on Route 64 outside of Sycamore, according to a summary filed in DeKalb County Court.

There, officers were told that a man had purchased a lawn mower for $15,700. He presented a driver's license and paid with a check before loading the mower onto a U-Haul truck and leaving the property.

Officers were able to confirm that the driver's license was fake and was in the name of a real person, but the photo showed that of the man who had purchased the lawnmower, the summary said.

U-Haul told officers the truck had been rented to a man with an Indiana driver's license. The license had the same photo but a different name.

The truck was never returned and was reported stolen by Markham police, the synopsis states.

Pontiac police also reported a similar case in which the same driver's license was used to purchase equipment. Pontiac had submitted the photo to the Secretary of State's office for facial recognition and received a possible match to Lesniewski, the summary said.

A lineup was conducted at a store in Sycamore and, according to court documents, Lesniewski was identified as the buyer of the lawn mower.

Lesniewski was arrested by Grayslake police on Aug. 8 while attempting to purchase equipment using a fake driver's license and check, the summary states.

An attempt to reach Grayslake police on Friday was unsuccessful.

No attorney for Lesniewski was listed in court records as of Friday.