DuPage Valentine’s Day sweep targets deadbeat dads

DuPage County authorities showed no love for “deadbeat dads” with a Valentine’s Day sweep targeting men who owe thousands of dollars in child support.

The surprise roundup, dubbed Operation Love, led to the arrests Monday of six men who are collectively in arrears more than $208,000, according to law enforcement officials.

State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said authorities will continue to search for 36 others, whose delinquent payments bring the total debt to more than $2 million.

“We have chosen Valentine’s Day to get the message across to deadbeat dads and parents that we are serious about collecting child support,” Berlin said at a news conference.

More than $40 million in child support payments was collected in DuPage County last year, nearly double the amount received five years ago.

Nationwide, Berlin said, nearly 22 million children are owed a collective $34 billion, with less than half of them receiving any payments whatsoever.

“These figures are unacceptable,” he said.

“In these tough economic times, custodial parents rely on child support payments to provide their children with such necessities as food, clothing and shelter,” Berlin said.

For the holiday sweep, investigators from the state’s attorney’s office and the DuPage County Children’s Center joined forces with sheriff’s deputies and fanned out across the region in four teams, knocking on the doors of parents who owe the most.

Arrests were made in Aurora, Bensenville, Elmhurst, Maywood, Roselle and Wood Dale. But Berlin said the operation itself was much broader.

“The majority (of those targeted) listed DuPage County as their residence, but we went throughout the entire region, including Joliet, River Grove, Chicago, LaGrange and Melrose Park,” he said.

Among those arrested was Jerzy Bilyk, 44, of Burbank, who owes $106,042.66 in child support, according to the state’s attorney’s office.

Another targeted suspect, Nicola Vavalle, 51, of Bloomingdale, owes about $219,000 but was not among those immediately taken into custody, authorities said.

Officials said most of the men, who were arrested for failing to meet court orders, will be taken before a judge Tuesday for bail setting.

Berlin said those arrested must post full cash bonds to be released, and the money will automatically be applied to their child-support debts.

“It is an option to charge them criminally but ... what we’re trying to do is get them to pay,” Berlin said. “If they’re in prison, they won’t be able to meet that obligation.”

Payments: Valentine’s Day sweet dubbed Operation Love