On March 30, Michele Pedersen, formerly treasurer of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2746, was indicted in U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon for embezzling about $8,500 from the Astoria-based union. During 2002-07, charge federal prosecutors, Pedersen, 41, a resident of Keizer (near Salem), wrote herself unauthorized union checks and altered union financial records to conceal the thefts. She was released after pleading not guilty. Trial is set for June 1. The indictment follows a probe by the U.S. Labor Department’s Office of Labor-Management Office.
