Officer Manager Charged With Embezzling Over $100,000 From Business

PARK RIDGE, IL — An office manager embezzled more than $100,000 from a Park Ridge real estate appraiser over a period of more than a year, authorities said.

Erin Early, 36, of Chicago, turned herself in to police Tuesday morning to face a charge of felony theft and was released on her own recognizance following an initial court appearance in Skokie that afternoon.

Early started working at MaRous and Company, 1550 Northwest Highway, in January 2020, according to prosecutors. Between July 2020 and December 2021, prosecutors said she made a series of unauthorized bank transfers from the company's account to her own in amounts ranging from $100 to about $3,500.

Accountants for the company conducted an audit of payroll and deposits last year and discovered Early's unauthorized transactions, Assistant State's Attorney Jenna Reinhardt said.

The firm contacted Park Ridge police, who proceeded to obtain Early's bank records and tax filings, which showed that she was paid nearly $72,000 in 2020 and more than $144,000 in 2021 — "far exceeding her yearly salaries," which in both years were less than $59,000, Reinhardt said.

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Early maintains her innocence, according to defense attorney Elliot Mondry.

For the past several months, Early has worked as a service coordinator at a west suburban hospital, Mondry said. She previously spent four years as the manager of a Starbucks and lived in Glen Ellyn her entire life before moving to Chicago in December, he said.

Cook County Associate Judge Anthony Calabrese said the allegations were serious, but Early has no criminal convictions, deep ties to the community and turned herself in to police. Calabrese also acknowledge that Early had retained a private attorney for the purposes of her bond hearing.

"It is abundantly clear to me that she is taking the matter seriously," Calabrese said, "because she hired excellent lawyers to look out for her interests, which says to me, she recognizes the seriousness of the problem that she faces."

Before her release on a signature bond, Early was ordered to have no contact with MaRous and Company and to return to court for a potential preliminary hearing on July 5.