Bend woman accused of stealing $50,000 in jewelry

A Bend woman has been arrested and indicted on numerous theft-related charges, accused of stealing more than $50,000 worth of jewelry from the store where she worked and selling it at area pawn shops, Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel said Friday.

A grand jury returned a 10-count indictment Tuesday against Manal Maher Bijan, 44, of Bend, including six counts of first-degree theft and two counts of first-degree aggravated theft. Bijan was arrested Oct. 18 by Bend police, according to jail records, and remained held Friday on $75,000 bail, pending a plea hearing scheduled for Nov. 16.

According to the indictment, Bijan is accused of stealing the jewelry between May 1 and Oct. 15 while working at Saxon’s Fine Jewelers in Bend’s Old Mill District. The indictment alleges she sold or borrowed on the security of the items at three area pawn shops.

“Employee theft and embezzlement are a significant problem in Deschutes County,” Hummel said in a news release. “Local law enforcement and your district attorney will continue to do our best to make victims of these crimes whole and to hold offenders accountable.”