Former Bellevue Arts Museum officer pleads not guilty to embezzlement

The former chief financial officer of the Bellevue Arts Museum pleaded not guilty today to charges that she embezzled $300,000 from the museum.

Janet Ellinger, 53, was charged last week in King County Superior Court with 38 counts of felony theft between October 2005 and April 2007. She worked for the museum for two years before being evicted from the building once the allegations came to light last spring.

Ellinger's attorney, Olaf Hansen of Redmond, declined to comment on the charges. "At the end of the case, we'll probably be more willing to discuss" the issues, he said.

After Ellinger's arraignment this morning, she was booked briefly into King County Jail before being released.

She is charged with 37 counts of first-degree theft and one count of second-degree theft. If convicted of all the charges, she faces a standard sentence of about 3 ½ to five years in prison.

Ashley Bach: 206-464-2567 or abach@seattletimes.com