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68 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, March 6, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 16, 2005 Bank manager sentenced in client embezzlement Karen Lee Jameson was victim’s trusted financial adviser By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune A former Medford U.S. Bank manager will spend more than two months in jail for embezzling nearly $150,000 from an elderly customer. Karen Lee Jameson, 51, of the 2500 block of Flanders Street, White City, was sentenced Tuesday in Jackson County Circuit Court on convictions of first-degree aggravated theft, forgery and criminal mistreatment. She pleaded guilty to the charges on Jan. 28. Jameson, also known as Jackie, also must repay U.S. Bank and the estate of Constance Schauer, a lifelong Rogue Valley resident who died in 2003 at the age of 97. Victims told the court that no penalty could make up for the betrayal of Schauer and Jameson’s co-workers. "Thankfully, Constance Schauer was never aware of the deception," said Kelly Hawthorne, a senior investigator for U.S. Bank. "She was from a generation that placed a great deal of trust in their bank." Advertisement Schauer had about 11 interest-bearing accounts with U.S. Bank, said attorney Brian Mullen. She and her husband, Karl, ran the K.C. Motel on Medford’s North Riverside Avenue for decades. She also had worked as a secretary for the former Jackson County Court and at a local high school. Jameson’s theft was not discovered until several months after Schauer’s death when attorneys tried to settle her estate and noticed discrepancies, said Rachel Bridges, deputy district attorney for Jackson County. Jameson’s position made it very easy for her to take cash, transfer funds and deposit checks into her own U.S. Bank accounts between March 2001 and October 2003, Bridges said. Jameson had been employed with U.S. Bank since 1983. Schauer also had hired Jameson as her accountant. She paid bills and went shopping for the house-bound woman who received round-the-clock nursing care, said Schauer’s niece, Evelyn Pickerrell, 79, of Daly City, Calif. Schauer’s family members knew and liked Jameson, she added. "My family is angry," Pickerrell told Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Ray White. "The monies are secondary to the hurt that has been caused." Jameson apologized and admitted she used the money to buy illicit prescription drugs and finance a lavish lifestyle of traveling. Her theft was, in part, spurred by marital problems, Jameson said, adding that she has since undergone treatment for substance abuse. White said he felt compelled to emphasize the seriousness of her crime in sentencing her to 70 days in jail and three years on probation. "I think you are remorseful, but unfortunately, we get a lot of people in here who are remorseful. ... It’s just talk," White said. Jameson was given a week to report to jail. A felony theft conviction should prevent her from ever again working at a financial institution, Bridges said. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress Advertisement s