Pendleton Chamber of Commerce investigation is in the hands of the Oregon Department of Justice

By Terry Murry on Tuesday, January 20th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

PENDLETON – Umatilla County District Attorney Dan Primus has confirmed that he has referred a case of alleged financial crimes involving the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce to the Oregon Department of Justice (ODOJ) to be handled by its financial crimes division.

Primus says that the ODOJ has one individual who does nothing but investigate financial crimes.

“It’s the type of cases that he works,” he said of the attorney who leads the division. “It’s the type of cases that he really enjoys and these cases can become very technical, very time consuming. You know you have to follow a trail and work your way through that.”

Primus said the other reason he chose to involve the state is because the case hits close to home, as he was raised and lives in Pendleton.

“You want to continue to have public trust under certain circumstances when there is a potential of a perceived conflict,” he said. “I want to make sure that somebody that does not have any form of a conflict to come in and take a look.”

In an earlier interview, Pendleton Police Chief Chuck Byram confirmed an investigation into the charges was carried out by Criminal Investigations Division Sgt. Rick Jackson. Elkhorn Media Group is reaching out to ODOJ for further information.