PORTLAND, Ore. — A Wilsonville woman and former senior official with the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) has been sentenced to federal prison for stealing more than $211,000 from an employee health benefit account she managed, the U.S. Department of Justice announced this week.
Pamela J. Kahut, 68, who once served as the commission’s chief financial officer, was sentenced to eight months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. In addition, she was ordered to pay $211,083.27 in restitution and a $10,000 fine for her crimes.
A Years-Long Scheme
Federal prosecutors said Kahut misused her authority between October 2014 and September 2020, diverting funds from the commission’s employee health benefit trust account for personal use. Investigators found that she:
- Paid long-term care insurance premiums for her spouse,
- Covered personal credit card bills, and
- Repaid pension loans using money from the account.
The health benefit trust was designed to provide coverage for commission employees and was funded in part through federal grant money. Instead of safeguarding those resources, Kahut repeatedly siphoned funds for her own expenses over the course of six years.
Officials emphasized that her actions did not only represent a betrayal of public trust but also jeopardized a fund that was supposed to protect the health and well-being of employees who dedicated their careers to fisheries management.
Federal Charges and Guilty Plea
Kahut was formally charged with Theft in Connection with Health Care on April 8, 2025. Facing strong evidence gathered during a multi-agency investigation, she pleaded guilty on June 5, 2025…