Police reports: Former House candidate accused of stealing from Grayslake small business

A former Illinois House candidate and Lake County treasurer's office worker stole $63,122.53 from a former employer, including while she was running for office last year, according to police documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Trisha A. Zubert, 39, of Wauconda, faces two counts of identity theft, two counts of theft, and single counts of forgery and money laundering stemming from an investigation that police say began in November 2018.

According to Grayslake police documents, the owner of Michelle's Interiors in Grayslake told police she discovered Zubert - who had been a part-time employee for about three years - was using company credit cards to make personal purchases.

The business owner reported that Zubert had created fake invoices to the business and set up a fraudulent PayPal account using her employer's name and Social Security number, according to police reports.

Grayslake detectives also uncovered allegations Zubert forged her employer's name on 14 checks totaling $47,710.01 between January 2017 and September 2018, police documents state.

Zubert ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat last year for the Illinois House District 64 seat. Police reports indicate detectives found no evidence she used stolen money to fund her campaign.

Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim said Wednesday that Zubert was fired Monday after a scheduled administrative disciplinary hearing. Zubert, who was hired about seven months ago, had been on administrative leave since her arrest last week.

Zubert is free is $30,000 bail pending a scheduled court appearance Nov. 15.