Glencoe Woman Who Posed as Drug Counselor Pleads Guilty

A Glencoe woman who posed as a licensed drug counselor and allegedly deposited insurance company checks into her personal bank account has pleaded guilty to the forgery charges, according to an article by the Chicago Tribune. Kimberly Even, 48, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 3.

Even was arrested in Oct. of 2011 and charged with forgery after depositing $16,600 in insurance checks made out to a Fox River Grove client, the Tribune reports. In Dec. of 2010, the Illinois Department of Human Services revoked her business license and shut down her North Shore Adolescent Recovery Center in Northfield and in Feb. 2010, she was ordered to not represent herself as a certified alcohol and drug counselor, although officials say she never stopped identifying herself as such.

Even has been under scrutiny for years and a Jan. 2012 article by the Chicago Tribune states that Chase Beh was being counseled by Even in the year leading up to his 2009 death due to heroin overdose. Beh's mother states that she didn't learn until years after her son's death that Even was allegedly uncertified. The article notes that while it's a crime to practice medicine without a license but no Illinois criminal laws prevent someone from claiming to be a certified drug counselor.

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