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MEDFORD, Ore. — A 53-year-old Oregon woman lived the high life, traveling, visiting casinos and restaurants, and renting exotic cars, with the hundreds of thousands of dollars she embezzled from her employer.
Notja Michelle Brower has been sentenced to six years and six months for embezzlement and tax evasion, following a case for which she was originally charged with the much lesser felony of aggravated identity theft.
She Stole More Than $250,000 and Evaded Tax Payments
Appearing in the Jackson County District Court, documents reveal that Brower embezzled more than $250,000 and evaded $50,000 in federal tax while she was employed as a bookkeeper and officer manager by an unnamed Medford employer.
She was sentenced to 78 months in a federal prison, five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $310,106 in restitution to her victims.
Court records reveal that within a month of working for Victim Business 1 (VB1) in July 2018, Brower pocketed thousands of dollars after issuing unauthorized company checks. She altered company records to conceal the thefts.
Fraudulent Credit Card Financed Her Lavish Lifestyle
Brower also committed fraud when she opened a credit card account in the name of VB1, which she used for traveling, exotic car rentals, casino trips, and restaurant visits. Court records state that Brower then made credit card payments, using VB1’s business checking account.
During the 2018/19 tax period, Brower willfully failed to disclose the $250,000 embezzled funds as income, or the $57,705 for which tax was payable.
A Medford grand jury returned a 12-count indictment on April 4, 2024, charging Brower with bank fraud, wire fraud, unauthorized use of an access device, aggravated identity theft, and tax evasion. She pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of tax evasion on March 10, 2025.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, the FBI, and the Medford Police Department. It was prosecuted by John C. Brassell, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
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