BELVIDERE, Ill. (WTVO) — A Rockton contractor entered a plea of guilty Tuesday in a Boone County home repair fraud case.

Kirt Johnson was placed on probation for 48 months and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $77,366.23.

Johnson, 45, was arrested in January 2021 and accused of stealing more than $100,000 from three victims over the age of 60. Charges against him stemmed from a 2021 investigation that resulted in two counts of aggravated home repair fraud and two counts of theft by deception.

Online business listings show Johnson’s company, Kirt Johnson Construction, was started in 2011, providing bathtub installation, custom closet design, and other remodeling services.

The company’s profile with the Better Business Bureau shows Kirt Johnson Construction has an “F” rating and has received a number of complaints from customers who claimed that in 2020 and 2021, they paid him thousands of dollars for remodeling services they never received.

“We hired Kirt Johnson for (the) remodel of our basement,” one homeowner told the Better Business Bureau. “We believe that he took over $17,000 dollars of our money and we have nothing to show for it. We have no idea where this money has gone and have repeatedly asked for our money to be returned which he has not provided.”

Another complainant told the BBB they gave Johnson $1,400 to build a pergola, and that after seven months, he hadn’t started the project.

“He kept giving excuses and saying he would start the following Tuesday,” the complaint said.

Johnson initially faced between three and seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.