Tillamook County Sheriff's Office, Oregon - Press Release 07-06-2006
http://www.tillamooksheriff.org

Susan Close sentenced in federal embezzlement case

Published: July 6, 2006
Headlight-Herald

Susan Close At an emotional hearing in Federal Court in Portland Thursday, Susan Close was sentenced to 21 months in prison. Close was accused of embezzling more than $268,000 in federal funds from accounts held by the Tillamook County Soil and Water Conservation District.

U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman pronounced the sentence and said three months of it would run concurrently with a sentence she is serving in the Tillamook County Jail for theft involving fraudulent claims for unemployment compensation she made while she was employed by the soil and water agency. The remaining 18 months, he said, must be served at a federal correctional center after she is released from jail, probably in January 2007.

Five Soil and Water District officials — Ray Monroe, Rudy Fenk, Paul Hanneman, Barbara Seaholm and Gus Meyer — gave dramatic, and sometimes emotional, testimony as victims in the case while Close dabbed her eyes with a tissue. She then gave her own tearful statement.

For the full story, see the July 12 edition of the Headlight-Herald