Friendly reminder to keep an eye on those credit card statements. Portland publishing magnate Win McCormack says that an Oregon husband-and-wife duo allegedly stole $34 million from him, by racking up unauthorized charges on his American Express account.

McCormack was reportedly aware of the couple overcharging him, but says he was “utterly astounded” and “deeply saddened” to learn of the massive fraud—the largest theft against an individual in Oregon state history.

A criminal complaint filed last week in the US District Court of Oregon claims that Sergey and Galina Lebedenko purchased a $1.5 million Cessna private jet, a $2.3 million Sunriver home, and several other posh properties while chauffeuring and running errands for the Tin House owner between 2016 and 2023. The couple amassed the money through falsified charges, including limo rides supposedly given while McCormack was out of town.

Federal prosecutors called it an “eye-watering” sum. How, exactly, can $34 million disappear before the alarm bells start ringing? In court filings, McCormack admitted to rarely looking at his credit card statements. 

Local literary icon isn’t McCormack’s only gig. His long list of credits, including as publisher of the New Republic and editor-in-chief of the now-defunct Tin House magazine, have afforded him a vaunted role among Portland’s bookish types (though he took heat for shuttering Tin House magazine in 2019). He’s also a Democratic activist who lands among Oregon’s biggest political campaign donors, and the heir of a Midwest banking fortune. The 79-year-old is also now part of a trend of scammers targeting older adults, who tend to lose more money when victimized (usually around four figures, not eight, but still).

With their alleged seven-year heist at a standstill, the Lebedenkos have been released from custody while awaiting trial—on the condition that they wear GPS monitors, stay in-state, and don’t go anywhere near that Cessna.