La Pine woman charged with ID theft, forgery, computer crime
A La Pine woman faces allegations of forgery, identity theft and computer crime after stealing information from her job.
Janell Welch, 39, allegedly accessed personal information from the La Pine Insurance Center computers and recorded conversations with employees, according to a July indictment.
Authorities claim Welch used a voice recorder to get her co-worker’s credit card information back in June and used it to fill out insurance applications using someone else’s identity in an attempt to defraud insurance companies.
Welch is facing 45 counts that include initiating a false report, computer crime, identity theft, and unlawful possession of methamphetamine.
The indictment alleges Welch committed these crimes over a period of several months. She was arrested back in July and has since been on a conditional release.
La Pine Insurance Center representatives referred NewsChannel 21 to their offices based out of Washington state.
The company said they’ve taken several steps to make sure their clients’ and employees’ information is protected after the incident.
Deschutes County sheriff’s Lt. Chad Davis said he couldn’t comment about the case because the investigation was still ongoing.
Welch is scheduled to appear for a court hearing in December.
After this story was broadcast, Welch contacted NewsChannel 21, alleging managers with her employer, WAFD Insurance Group, had broken labor laws involving disabled workers regarding her federally protected medical leave.
She provided a copy of a discrimination complaint she filed earlier this month with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries Civil Rights Division. She claimed her dismissal for alleged misconduct was retaliation that violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.
