Indictment Filed In $300,000 Embezzlement Case Investigated By Portland Police Bureau White Collar Crimes Unit -10/24/18

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE     

OCTOBER 24, 2018

Indictment filed in $300,000 embezzlement case investigated by Portland Police Bureau White Collar Crimes Unit

Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill announced that 35-year-old Katie Ann Baca, of Beaverton, Oregon, was arraigned on a 30-count indictment that alleges she stole more than $300,000 from her former employer.

The indictment, which was filed on October 23, 2018, charges Baca with 11 counts of aggravated theft in the first degree, 11 counts of aggravated identity theft, four counts of theft in the first degree and four counts of identity theft.

The Portland Police Bureau’s White Collar Crimes Unit is leading this investigation.

Baca was employed by a private holding company operating in Multnomah County, and while in that position, she is accused of using multiple credit cards to make personal purchases that included airline tickets, family vacations, and everyday items such as food and clothing, according to PPB Detective Elizabeth Cruthers, the primary detective on the case. During the investigation, law enforcement identified a total of five credit cards that Baca allegedly used to commit the unauthorized purchases. Baca was hired in June 2015 and subsequently terminated in February 2017.

Baca appeared before Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Melvin Oden-Orr on October 24, 2018. She was arraigned on the indictment and her privately retained criminal defense attorney entered pleas of not guilty on her behalf.

The next court date scheduled in this matter is December 11, 2018.

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office and Portland Police Bureau's White Collar Crimes Unit are advocating that all organizations take preventive measures to limit their exposure to potential embezzlement. Furthermore, any organization that suspects the intentional misuse or misappropriation of funds or property by an employee should report those suspicions to law enforcement immediately.

The victim in this case does not wish to make any media statements.

An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

#MCDA#

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Contact: Brent Weisberg, Communications Director

Phone: 503.988.6567

Email: Brent.Weisberg@mcda.us