Martial Arts Instructor Stole, Pawned Customer’s iPad, Police Say

The man was previously charged with stealing $42,000 from the Wilmette martial arts studio.

Wilmette police say that the manager of a Wilmette martial arts academy who was recently charged with stealing over $42,000 from the business also stole a customer’s iPad and sold it at a pawn shop the following day, according to a report. According to the police report, a Wilmette woman told police on Nov. 7 that someone had stolen her $600 iPad2 while she was watching her daughter’s class at Baek’s Tiger Martial Arts studio in Wilmette, 1417 Lake Ave, between 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 29. The woman told police that she had called the studio once on Oct. 29 and again on Oct. 30, and said that on both occasions she had spoken to Ethan Hong, the then manager, and asked him if he had found her missing iPad. “Mr. Hong told her he did not …

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Editor's Pick: Police Say Wilmette Store Manger Admitted Stealing $42k from Business

The man allegedly used a personal credit card reader to route the money into his bank account.

Police: Wilmette Store Manger Admits Stealing $42K from Business

The man allegedly used a personal credit card reader to route the money into his bank account.

A Waukegan man admitted to stealing over $42,000 during his time as a manger of a Wilmette business by diverting customer credit card payments into a personal bank account, police reported. Ethan J. Hong, 24, of the 500 block of Washington Street, was charged with felony theft after Wilmette police arrested him Wednesday. The owner or a Wilmette business located in the 1400 block of Lake Avenue called police Wednesday to report a possible employee theft. The owner told police he had discovered that Hong had been diverting money from business sales into a personal account since January. Police said Hong later admitted to making over 30 separate thefts from the business. Hong reportedly said he would swipe customers’ credit cards through his…

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