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Nancy Bass Wyden, wife of U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and owner of legendary Manhattan bookstore The Strand, claims her late assistant, who died by suicide last spring, embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from her, allegedly stealing not just money but also rare books, family heirlooms, and countless pieces of designer clothing that wound up for sale on Poshmark.

Beyond hocking her personal property online – a pair of Dior sneakers for $800, in one example – Brandon O’Brien, 35, used Bass Wyden’s credit cards to finance a high-flying lifestyle for himself and his husband, buying everything from gym memberships to an annual Disney Incredi-Pass, the “highest tier of the Walt Disney World Passes,” according to an explosive new lawsuit obtained by The Independent.

In it, Bass Wyden describes a breathtaking array of criminal acts, even accusing O’Brien of stealing her Amazon rewards points, as well as a “coveted emerald pendant” that had belonged to her late mother. When the piece mysteriously disappeared from Bass Wyden’s residence in New York City, she initially believed she had lost it, her complaint states.

However, it goes on, Bass Wyden “eventually discovered the emerald pendant in O’Brien’s office among his personal… affairs.”

“The thievery commenced in or about August 2022,” the complaint alleges. “Plaintiff Nancy Bass Wyden had no knowledge of this thievery when it occurred.”

open image in gallery Bass Wyden, seen here with husband Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) arriving at a state dinner at the White House in 2023, is suing her former personal assistant over hundreds of thousands of dollars in alleged theft ( Getty Images )

Bass Wyden reported O’Brien