The former chief operating officer of

pleaded not guilty Tuesday to allegations that he stole $1 million from the now defunct Thai food restaurant chain for nearly two years beginning in 2009.

A grand jury indicted Richard Lee Anderson on 22 counts of theft Friday. He was arraigned this morning on the charges in

.

Prosecutors allege that Anderson stole thousands from the troubled Typhoon! restaurant chain every month except for two between February 2009 and January 2011. The investigation revealed that employee withholdings were never submitted to the

, said deputy district attorney Kevin Demer. Owners Steve and Bo Kline weren’t aware the federal government didn’t receive the money, Demer said.

When Typhoon! shuttered its operations in February, the business owed $2.25 million in unpaid federal payroll taxes, according to Oregon corporations and division records.

The investigation into Anderson’s actions began in December 2010, and he left the company a month later, Demer said.

Demer said he believes the alleged actions ultimately led to the downfall of Typhoon! “Three hundred people are out of work because of it,” he said.

Anderson’s wife Janice Robin Anderson wasn't an employee of Typhoon!, but had authority to sign checks, Demer said. The couple’s daughter worked as Typhoon!’s human resources manager, Demer said.

Richard Anderson and his lawyer, Pete Castleberry, declined comment after the arraignment this morning. However, Castleberry later said that there are "still many stones to turn over" regarding the case.

He said it was "patently absurd" to suggest that Typhoon! failed because of Anderson or his alleged actions.

It's the latest development in the collapse of Typhoon!, the Tigard-based chain co-founded by Steve and Bo Kline. Steve Kline died unexpectedly in August 2011.

Bo Kline shuttered Typhoon!'s five restaurants months later, facing

charges that the chain had discriminated against its Thai workers.

Two days after Typhoon! shuttered operations, Anderson filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy along with his wife.

The Andersons’ original bankruptcy filing lists a $750,000 personal loan to Typhoon!, noting that the restaurant is insolvent and owes money to the IRS. But the couple later said the loan amounted to at least $58,371, according to a May 4 court document.

In that same document, Richard Anderson says he earned $327,893 in wages and bonuses at Typhoon!

Typhoon! had faced repeated allegations about its labor practices long before Anderson's alleged theft became known.

BOLI sought more than $2 million in damages after an eight-month investigation concluded that the restaurant discriminated against its Thai chefs. It eventually reached a $100,000 settlement with the company.

Two former chefs are also suing the company, Bo Kline and the estate of Steve Kline for $4.9 million in damages and lost wages. The ongoing case in U.S. District Court alleges the defendants violated federal and state labor laws.

Circuit Court Judge Karin Immergut ruled this morning that Anderson, who now has a different full-time job, must post $3,000 bail, surrender his passport and agree to stay in Oregon.

Anderson will next appear in court Nov. 20. The indictment against him includes 17 counts of first degree aggravated theft and five counts of first degree theft.

Return to OregonLive.com for updates throughout the day.

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