Office Overview | Victim Services | Press Room | Community Resources | What's New | Careers | Juvenile Justice | Contact

PRIVATE LABEL COMPANY FEATURING
“SUPER PREMIUM DOG & CAT FOOD”
FEATURED ON RACHEL RAY FOOD NETWORK SHOW

A husband and wife who own and operate a high-end pet food company in a north suburb have been charged in a financial crimes investigation for illegally diverting gas and electricity that was used to operate the company and its manufacturing plant, Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez announced today.

Joel Sher, 54,  and his wife, Holly Sher, 52, of Lincolnwood, have each been charged with felony theft and money laundering in connection with the scheme, which prosecutors said Wednesday provided nearly $ 2 million in free utilities to their company, Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food.  State’s Attorney investigators have also seized $2.3 million in a Chicago bank belonging to the Sher’s as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation.

Evanger’s is located in Wheeling, where the company produces “Super Premium” dog and cat food in the private label market, according to the company website.  The company offers the services of “formula specialists” who provide pet owners with custom recipes for their particular pet, offering “delicious gourmet dinners” for even “the fussiest eater.”  The company even produces a line of kosher pet products, according to its website.  The company and the Shers were featured on an episode of the Rachel Ray food show in March of 2008.

According to prosecutors, since becoming customers of Nicor Gas in 2003, there had been several reports of unusual activity relating to an illegal gas hook up at the company.  The reports ranged from tips provided by employees to the discovery of an illegal gas hook up by the Wheeling Police and Fire Departments responding to a gas leak at the factory.

The State’s Attorney’s Office began an investigation into the company in 2009  and uncovered evidence that employees had been directed by Joel and Holly Sher not to allow Nicor officials on the premises to read the company’s gas meters.  It is also alleged that Joel Sher ordered employees to use jackhammers to dig through concrete and asphalt to divert gas lines and even supplied them with a tool to help rollback gas meters.

The investigation also uncovered that the Sher’s directed employees to steal electricity as well.  According to prosecutors, Joel Sher directed employees to attach wires and fuses to high tension wires to redirect the power.

Prior to an inspection, one employee was given rubber gloves and directed by Joel Sher to be lifted by a forklift to disconnect an illegal bypass that had been attached to a high voltage line.

“The brazen nature of these thefts is exceeded only by the dangerous conditions that these individuals were willing to expose their employees to,” Alvarez said.  “This is another case that exemplifies the commitment of my office to root out and prosecute financial crime at the local level.”

State’s Attorney Investigators, working with the Wheeling Police Department and officials from Nicor and Commonwealth Edison, conducted a detailed analysis of the factory’s operations and determined that approximately $1,728,000 in gas and electricity had been stolen.

State’s Attorney Alvarez thanked officials from Nicor and ComEd for their cooperation during the investigation as well as members of the Wheeling Police Department and the State’s Attorney’s Public Corruption and Financial Crimes Unit for their hard work on the case.

The public is reminded that criminal charging documents contain allegations that are not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the state has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

- Back -