Board member of Chicago's Ever restaurant accused of embezzling over $1.4 million from Michelin-starred eatery
A board member for Michelin-starred Chicago restaurants Ever and After has been sued for allegedly embezzling more than $1.4 million for his own personal use.
The lawsuit, filed by Four Pillars Restaurant Group and Ever Restaurant Group in Cook County Circuit Court last week, accuses Aaron Gersonde of using his position as a board member not just to take the money, but then to manipulate their books and reporting to cover up his theft.
Ever was opened by renowned Chicago chef Curtis Duffy in 2020 in the West Loop. It has two Michelin stars and offers an eight- to 10-course tasting menu. Its sister cocktail bar, After, is located next door.
The lawsuit said Gersonde was responsible for monitoring and reporting on the company's finances as part of his role as a board member. The lawsuit said the role was not full-time, and that Gersonde was not entitled to any further payment, paid travel, clothing or house stipends, or other perks. His role did, however, give him access to Ever and After's bank accounts, the lawsuit says.
The suit alleges Gersonde began embezzling money from the restaurants in 2022 and continued to do so until Dec. 2025. Sometimes he abused the company credit card, the lawsuit says, and other times he allegedly made fraudulent payments, transfers, and withdrawals directly from the company bank accounts.
"It's unusual because of the length of time that was occurring and the extreme amount of money that was involved," said Irv Miller, CBS News Chicago legal analyst.
In the lawsuit, the restaurant group claims Gersonde charged more than $1.4 million in unauthorized charges to his company's American Express card, including more than $18,000 at Louis Vuitton and more than $10,000 at Burberry. He is also accused of spending tens of thousands more dollars in shopping sprees at Christian Dior, Enzo, Dolce & Gabbana, Alo Yoga, Lululemon, Christian Louboutin, Neiman Marcus, and Tom Ford.
"Why isn't this in criminal court as opposed to being in civil court? This is a lot of money. Usually in situations like this, the first thing the complaining witness does is contact law enforcement to get criminal prosecution going," Miller said.
He is accused of buying a Breitling watch for more than $14,000; charging more than $33,000 at a strip club in Miami; spending more than $30,000 on flights and travel expenses with Delta Airlines and more than $28,000 in flights and expenses with United Airlines; spending nearly $200,000 for 2,075 purchases on Amazon; and spending more than $79,000 on Uber Eats in 1,219 separate charges.
The lawsuit accuses Gersonde of using company funds to pay rent for apartments in Atlanta and Denver belonging to his girlfriend – more than $43,000 in Denver between Aug. 2024 and May 2025, and over $56,000 in Atlanta between May and Nov. 2025 – as well as more than $56,000 for his girlfriend's Miami home. The suit notes, "this list of Gersonde's fraudulent real estate charges to the Company is not exhaustive."
The lawsuit also accuses Gersonde of taking cash from company bank accounts and depositing it into his personal accounts, as well as making direct deposits from company accounts into his personal bank account. In some of those cases, the lawsuit alleges Gersonde used company funds to commit bank and wire fraud.
To hide what he was doing, the lawsuit claims Gersonde created fake profit and loss statements for the board and investors, and manipulated the company's online QuickBooks records to hide the fraudulent charges.
Gersonde's Facebook page ironically shows a book that just went on sale this week about opening a restaurant.
The restaurant groups are now suing for more than $1 million in direct damages, as well as for punitive damages, attorneys' fees, and costs.
CBS News Chicago reached out to other board members, as well as Gersonde, about the lawsuit, but has yet to hear back.