Cops: Manager skims $100,000 from Bloomingdale gas station

In three years working at a Bloomingdale gas station, Susan Verhaar brought home an extra $100,000 by skimming from bank deposits, police said.

Now the Hanover Park woman is facing a felony theft charge in DuPage County.

Verhaar, 39, was arrested Wednesday at her home on the 1300 block of Kingsbury Drive — the culmination of a two-month investigation.

Police said they have video of her stealing from bank deposits at a BP gas station on the 100 block of South Gary Avenue in Bloomingdale, where she was day-shift manager.

“Half the money was going into the bank, half was going into her purse,” said Bhavik Shah, who has owned the business since 2008.

Shah said the scheme unraveled after he switched accounting firms and conducted an audit. He said he believes Verhaar skimmed funds while preparing deposits in a back office and also while en route to the bank.

Shah said it was Verhaar’s job to make sure the books were balanced, so he didn’t immediately notice any problems.

He called the amount of money allegedly stolen — more than some bank robberies — “shocking.”

“We trusted her like a family member, and she hurt us,” he said.

Verhaar worked at the station about three years, Shah said. She confessed when confronted by police, said Bloomingdale Cmdr. Tim Roberts.

“She told the investigator that she was doing this because she was struggling financially,” Roberts said. “We were happy to be able to help remove somebody who was taking profits from a local business. A lot of businesses have financial struggles, too.”

Shah said he hopes to be reimbursed by seeking liens against Verhaar, who he says owns three cars and four motorbikes.

Verhaar was released from the county jail on a $10,000 cash bond and is scheduled to appear April 9 before Judge Robert Kleeman.

She did not immediately return a message seeking comment Saturday.