Glendale Heights man gets 5 years for $200,000 gold theft from jeweler

A former employee of a Glen Ellyn jeweler was sentenced Monday to five years in prison for stealing more than $200,000 in solid gold bars.

Daniel Knaack, 52, of Glendale Heights, pleaded guilty to felony theft and was sentenced in an agreement with DuPage County prosecutors.

Knaack was charged last year after an inventory check at Costello Jewelry, 474 N. Main St., revealed nine pounds of solid gold were missing from the store.

Assistant State's Attorney Nick Catizone said video surveillance showed Knaack taking the bars from a safe. In a subsequent police interview, he admitted pawning them to support a drug habit.

Knaack stole a total of 15 bars that had been melted down from scrap gold and were valued at $211,000. He worked at the jewelry store for about 12 years and was a manager, police said.

Court records show Knaack pleaded guilty to felony theft in 1998 for stealing $500 from a jeweler at Yorktown Shopping Center in Lombard.

He also has prior convictions for unlawful acquisition and attempted unlawful acquisition of a controlled substance, authorities said.

Defense attorney Paul DeLuca said Knaack suffers from a bevy of physical ailments, including Parkinson's disease and kidney disease, as well as mental health issues.

The defendant used a cane to walk Monday and was taken to jail in a wheelchair.

“Hopefully, the Illinois Department of Corrections will take care of him,” DeLuca said. “He's not in good shape.”

DuPage Judge Daniel Guerin, who accepted the plea, said he took into account Knaack's nonviolent criminal history and health issues in agreeing to the sentence.

By law, Knaack must serve at least 2 1/2 years. He will receive credit toward that term for about seven months spent in the county jail following his arrest.