The two sides involved in an embezzlement case have been ordered to mediation according to First District Court records in Sandpoint. The lawsuit was filed against a former office manager at a midwifery clinic.

Mediation was suggested by the Bonner County Deputy Prosecutor during a pre-trial hearing. He stated that the process might help resolve the case that had been filed against Samantha Sue Wasylko. Wasylko is charged with grand theft. Her attorney did not object to the request for mediation and the judge agreed it might be the best option for all involved and pushed the jury trial back to August in case mediation is unsuccessful.

Wasylko pleaded not guilty to the charges and was allowed to go free while the case is pending. She is accused of embezzling money from the Pend Oreille Midwifery Clinic during her time as office manager in 2015. According to testimony from the clinic’s accountant, the embezzling was discovered irregularities in the financial records.

Wasylko is also accused of accepting and pocketing more than $10,000 in case from patients. She was supposed to deposit the case into the clinic’s bank account.

Wasylko chose to invoke her Fifth Amendment rights during the preliminary hearing. She faces a potential 20 year term if she is convicted on the charges of grand theft.

The mediation will involve lawyers representing the clinic and the state, as well as Wasylko’s lawyers. The parties will discuss potential options available and determine if a settlement can be reached outside of court. The settlement could include a shortened jail sentence, reparations paid by Wasylko to the clinic, or anything else both sides deem appropriate in settling the dispute.