Eugene police on Tuesday, Jan. 20, arrested a 50-year-old former Northwest Community Credit Union worker suspected of fraudulently accessing the accounts of deceased credit union members, a police spokesperson said.

Teresa Lynn Margiotta was booked into Lane County Jail on suspicion of 38 separate counts of first-degree forgery, as well as numerous other complaints, including first-degree aggravated theft.

Formal charges filed Wednesday in Lane County Circuit Court named 20 victims of aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors charged Margiotta with four counts of aggravated identity theft and four counts of first-degree aggravated theft. Margiotta remained in jail as of Wednesday afternoon.

Now known as Peak Credit Union after a merger, the credit union Sept. 5 reported the suspected embezzlement, spokesperson Melinda McLaughlin said.

Financial authorities have also investigated Margiotta, in December permanently banning her from working at any federally insured depository institution, such as a bank or credit union, according to an administrative order from the National Credit Union Administration, a federal agency.

Margiotta worked as a senior support services specialist after starting out in 2005 as a teller, according to the administrative order.

As part of a consent agreement, Margiotta neither admitted nor denied findings from an investigation stating she caused more than $230,000 in losses to Lacey, Washington-based Peak Credit Union.

Beginning Sept. 15, Northwest Community Credit Union merged with TwinStar Credit Union and the two companies rebranded to become Peak Credit Union. The company has 35 branches in Oregon and Washington, according to its website.

The administrative order states allegations that, beginning from at least August 2023 through February 2025, Margiotta “engaged in misconduct for her personal financial benefit.”

Specifically, Margiotta is alleged to have “fraudulently issued checks from dormant members’ accounts, then voided them, and reissued them for her own purposes.”

Margiotta has not worked at the credit union since July 2025, said Laurie Kresl, vice president of marketing for Peak Credit Union.

“Upon identifying irregular activity during their employment, we took immediate and decisive action, which included cooperating fully with law enforcement and regulatory authorities,” Kresl said in an email, adding that “no member funds were compromised.”

“Our credit union’s systems and controls were strengthened as soon as the issue was identified,” Kresl said. “Protecting our members and maintaining their trust is our highest priority. We maintain rigorous internal controls, regular audits, and ongoing regulatory examinations designed to detect and prevent misconduct.”