Crime & Safety

Plainfield Man Accused of Forging Court Orders to Stall Eviction Process

Marc Franzen also faces identity theft charges stemming from a Naperville investigation.

A Plainfield man facing foreclosure is also facing some legal troubles after he allegedly forged court orders to stay in his home longer.

Marc Franzen, 46, of the 25000 block of Michele Drive, was arrested July 8 and booked into the Will County jail on two counts of forgery.

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  • Will County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said an attorney for Bank of America brought the alleged fraud to light during a June 10 meeting with sheriff's detectives.

    An attorney representing the bank, which now owns the Michele Drive home, told detectives that the bank had been in the process of foreclosing on Franzen's home and evicting him for several years, according to Hoffmeyer.

    Last year, Franzen obtained a Will County court order granting him an extension on the eviction process, police said. 

    "In 2012, he was given an eviction/extension order but that time had since come and gone," Hoffmeyer said. The bank attorney told police that no further extensions were granted to Franzen in 2013 — but that the Plainfield man was in possession of three Will County orders from February, March and June of 2013.

    Investigators believe Franzen fraudulently obtained the the orders, including the judge's and attorneys' signatures. A warrant for his arrest was issued June 28, Hoffmeyer said.

    The forgery charges aren't Franzen's only legal troubles. According to Will County court records, he also faces an identity theft charge stemming from a Naperville police investigation.

    Naperville Sgt. Louis Cammiso said a warrant for Franzen's arrest was issued June 6 after an investigation revealed he had used someone else's credit card to pay a $2,200 ComEd bill.

    "It's unclear exactly how he obtained the victim's card number," Cammiso said, noting that Franzen made the payment over the phone. "I don't believe he actually possessed the card."

    Franzen was arrested by Plainfield police on the warrant during a June 19 traffic stop, according to Cammiso. Court records show Franzen was released after posting $1,000 bail on July 5 — just three days before his arrest on the forgery charges

    As of Wednesday, Franzen remained in the Will County jail in lieu of $25,000 bond. He would need to post 10 percent to secure his release. Franzen's next court date on the forgery charges is July 30, according to Will County records.

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