Coos County Bookkeeper Accused of Embezzling More Than $300,000 From Local Business

By Lucille McNamara On Sep 22, 2026

Courtesy: Coos County Sheriff's Office, Oregon.

COOS COUNTY, Ore. — A Coos County bookkeeper has been arrested on allegations of embezzling more than $300,000.

Forty-eight-year-old Maria R. Padgett was arrested and lodged at the Coos County Jail and is facing 16 counts of first-degree aggravated theft.

Tidings Insight

Oregon defines aggravated theft in the first degree as theft involving at least $10,000 in a single or aggregate transaction. It is classified as a Class B felony.

According to the Coos County Sheriff’s Office, the theft occurred between December 2023 and August 2026 from a business in the 57000 block of Fairview Road, near Coquille.

By Lucille McNamara | Covers public safety, courts and Oregon policy

Coos County Southern Oregon