A woman accused of embezzling nearly $190,000 from a Bend business where she worked as office manager pleaded not guilty Friday to 15 criminal charges and set a trial date for summer 2019.

Gretchen Marie Miller appeared in Deschutes County Circuit Court to face charges stemming from her time as an employee at Bend Painting.

She was arrested by Bend Police in December, after a new office manager at Bend Painting noticed financial irregularities and missing funds.

When investigators questioned Miller about the allegations, she claimed the money she was alleged to have stolen had come to her in the form of gifts from company owner, T.J. Iams, with whom she said she was having a sexual relationship.

In an interview with The Bulletin, Iams denied both giving the money to Miller and having any kind of romantic relationship with her.

Miller is accused of two counts of aggravated first-degree theft, one count of first-degree theft, eight counts of first-degree forgery and four counts of falsifying business records.

She is represented by attorney Stephen Houze.

“It wouldn’t be ethical to answer questions about a pending case,” he told The Bulletin.