Ex-Naperville library chief guilty of theft charge

Former Naperville Library Board President Jerry Feldott is now a convicted felon.

Feldott, 64, pleaded guilty Wednesday to embezzling about $26,000 from a homeowners association that had contracted with his real-estate firm, Feldott and Associates.

The Naperville man pleaded guilty to a felony theft charge punishable by up to seven years in prison. However, he was placed on two years of conditional discharge in a plea bargain accepted by DuPage County Judge John Kinsella.

The sentence doesn’t require Feldott to do anything as long as he commits no new offenses in the next two years. He has declined to comment and his attorney could not be reached immediately.

Feldott, of the 1000 block of East Benton Avenue, surrendered in April after he was charged with stealing from the North Edgewood Homeowners Association in Naperville.

Authorities said the association hired Feldott’s real-estate firm to maintain neighborhood common areas. Feldott was accused of stealing association fees held in escrow starting about 2007. At one point, he returned $5,700, police said.

Feldott resigned as president of the Naperville library board following his arrest. He had served about six years.

The charges came as a shock to library officials, who described Feldott as a passionate community leader who gave much of his time to organizations such as the Rotary and Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce. Feldott also was chairman of the Citizens Appreciate Police and Fire Departments organization in Naperville.

Public records show Feldott has been taken to small-claims court by one customer and three lenders since 2010 and is also facing foreclosure.