Wilsonville woman admits to stealing $211K from employee health benefit trust account

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The former chief financial officer of Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission has pleaded guilty to stealing money from the organization’s health benefit trust account.

Pamela J. Kahut, 67, previously had access to the account which was used to pay benefits to the organization’s employees. Investigators found that she stole roughly $211,083 from the account between October 2014 and September 2020.

Officials found that Kahut used the funds to pay for her spouse’s premiums for the insurance program along with her pension loans and credit card bills. On Sept. 21, 2020, she wrote a check for $2,812.

The guilty plea is punishable with up to 10 years in federal prison and three years of supervised release. She may also face a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the amou