Two weeks ago, on May 8, Eugene Weekly reported that the woman who stands accused of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from this newspaper sat in an Ohio jail cell, facing five felony charges for the theft.
A Lane County grand jury indicted the former EW business manager, Elisha Young, 38, more than 16 months after the newspaper discovered the embezzlement that nearly closed it forever. Police in Whitehall, Ohio, arrested Young on May 6 on a nationwide warrant after a traffic stop, and she was expected to return to Oregon to face the felony charges.
But EW has learned that Young walked out of jail three days later after Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek decided it was not worth the time or money to extradite Young to Lane County to face charges.
The governor’s office has the power to approve or deny extraditions when suspects wanted for crimes in Oregon are arrested in other states.
Kotek’s action stymied local law enforcement officials, who spent months building a case against Young, only to watch her go free when Kotek refused to approve the extradition.
Lane County District Attorney Christopher Parosa says this is not the first extradition he has seen Kotek’s office deny recently. “Lately, we have seen a severe tightening of their approval process, so we think some pretty significant cases are being denied outright.”
The embezzlement against EW made local and national news — from The Oregonian/OregonLive to the Associated Press to The New York Times — in early 2024 after the newspaper revealed the theft and reported that a former employee’s actions had left the paper with more than $200,000 in unpaid bills, including $70,000 owed to the printer.
The paper laid off its entire staff and temporarily halted print publication. EW rehired staff and returned to print in February 2024 after journalism supporters contributed more than $200,000 — mainly through small individual contributions — to save the newspaper.
Parosa said his office appealed to Kotek’s office after the first extradition request was turned down. “We called them and said this is a pretty unique case.”
The DA adds, “There has got to be some flexibility for someone who has taken a beloved institution like Eugene Weekly and defrauded them of hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Parosa says a change in extradition policy “would be devastating to local communities and to our ability to hold people accountable.” He says his office has seen a higher incidence of fraud and embezzlement. “Scams have become the order of the day,” he said.
On May 16, EPD reported that a former Homes for Good employee was arrested on charges of embezzling $560,000 from the public housing authority that offers housing assistance to low-income Lane County residents.
Kotek spokeswoman Roxy Mayer said there has been no change in policy when it comes to approving extradition. “Each extradition request is assessed on a case-by-case basis,” Mayer said in an email. “The office approves the cost and the means of transportation, as the state does not have the financial resources to extradite every fugitive.”
EW asked the governor’s office for any objective standards used to make decisions on extraditions. The office didn’t respond to the request. According to the 2025-2027 Governor’s Recommended Budget, the governor is seeking to add an extradition deputy director position to address a continued increase in workload in the Extradition Office.
The governor’s office’s denial means the state will not pay the cost of the extradition, which includes the time and travel expenses of local officers to return the defendant from another state. Mayer did say Oregon typically approves extraditions from states with an established shuttle system for exchanging prisoners, including Idaho, Montana and Washington.
Mayer says the Lane County DA’s Office “may proceed with the extradition by funding it from its budget.”
Parosa says there has not historically been a local budget for extradition. “It’s one of a million examples of the state foisting expenses on the local government, and we don’t have the resources, and they know we don’t have resources.”
The criminal indictment against Young, unsealed on May 19, lists three counts of aggravated theft in the first degree, a class B felony, and two counts of theft in the first degree, a class C felony. The indictment alleges Young stole the money between July 2021 and December 2023.
Aggravated theft in the first degree involves stealing of more than $10,000. Each count carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence and/or a $250,000 fine. Theft in the first degree involves stealing of more than $1,000 but less than $10,000. Each charge carries a maximum of five years in prison and/or a $125,000 fine.