On March 30, Michele Pedersen, formerly treasurer of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2746, was indicted in U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon for embezzling about $8,500 from the Astoria-based union. During 2002-07, charge federal prosecutors, Pedersen, 41, a resident of Keizer (near Salem), wrote herself unauthorized union checks and altered union financial records to conceal the thefts. She was released after pleading not guilty. Trial is set for June 1. The indictment follows a probe by the U.S. Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Office.
On May 3, Michele Pedersen, former treasurer of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2746, was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon to three years supervised release and ordered to pay a $25 special assessment for falsifying financial records of the Astoria union. Pedersen originally had been charged in March with embezzling $8,509. She eventually pled guilty in May to a lesser charge. She also made full restitution. The actions follow a probe by the Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards.
