Former Oregon Fisheries CFO Sentenced to Prison for Stealing $211,000 to Cover Husband’s Care

The former chief financial officer of the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC), Pamela J. Kahut of Oregon, was sentenced yesterday to eight months in federal prison for stealing $211,083.27 from the company to cover her husband’s long-term healthcare premiums.

The 68-year-old from Wilsonville was also ordered to pay PSMFC $211,083.27 in restitution, was fined $10,000, and sentenced to three years of supervised release on completion of her jail term.

Court documents reveal that she stole the money between October 2014 and September 2020 to pay her husband’s long-term care premiums. Kahut also used the funds to pay her credit card bills and her pension loans.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s District of Oregon Office, Kahut stole the money from the company’s health benefit trust account, to which she had access to control benefit payments, fees, and related healthcare benefits.

She was charged with theft in connection with healthcare on April 8, 2025, and pleaded guilty on June 5.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Inspector General. The prosecutor was Robert Trisotto, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.