Prineville, Ore. — The owner of The Wrangler in Prineville has been ordered by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries to pay a former employee nearly $8,000 in unpaid wages and penalties after state investigators determined the worker was given two paychecks that were returned for insufficient funds.
The BOLI Order of Determination names Christina Marie Suing, doing business as The Wrangler, as the employer in a wage claim assigned to the agency by former employee Jessica L. Carter.
Suing, who also goes by Chris Powell, owned the now-defunct Horseshoe Tavern in downtown Prineville, a business that became the subject of scrutiny last year over allegations of unpaid wages and withheld tips, workers’ compensation violations, and problems with the Oregon Lottery.
According to BOLI’s order, Carter worked for The Wrangler during two separate pay periods in October and November 2023.
For work performed between Oct. 1st and Oct. 15th, 2023, BOLI said Suing issued Carter a check for $795.77 that was dishonored for insufficient funds. Carter later received another check, this time for $751.23, for work performed between Nov. 1st and Nov. 15th. The agency also said that check was returned for insufficient funds.
BOLI determined neither amount was subsequently paid and found Carter was owed a combined $1,547 in unpaid net wages, plus interest.
The amount Suing faces under the order grows substantially because of Oregon’s penalty-wage and dishonored-check laws.
BOLI determined Carter’s employment ended on Nov. 27st, 2023, and that more than 30 days passed after the wages became due and after written notice was sent to the employer.
The agency determined Suing “willfully failed to pay” the wages and assessed another $3,600 in penalty wages under ORS 652.150.
BOLI additionally assessed a $2,547 civil penalty stemming from the two dishonored payroll checks.
Altogether, the order calls for $7,694 in unpaid wages and penalties, before applicable interest.
The order is not necessarily the final step in the administrative process. Under the notice, Suing has 20 days following receipt to either pay the required amounts or request a contested-case hearing or trial in court. If no timely challenge or payment is made, BOLI says the order becomes final and a Final Order on Default may follow.
It was not yet clear if Suing has been served with the order.
Previous problems at Suing’s other now-defunct bar
The finding involving The Wrangler comes after Suing’s other Prineville bar, the Horseshoe Tavern, faced its own series of labor and regulatory problems before closing last year.
The Prineville Review first reported in August 2025 that former employees of the Horseshoe had raised allegations involving bounced or missing paychecks and other treatment of workers. At the time, Suing [Powell] — declined to answer questions regarding the reported employee pay issues.
Other former employees subsequently contacted the Prineville Review and alleged they had gone without final paychecks and that money owed to them included tips paid by customers using credit and debit cards. At least one former employee reported being in contact with BOLI regarding those disputes. Those allegations were reported as claims by former workers and were not, at the time, established findings by the agency.
Other regulatory troubles involving the Horseshoe were independently confirmed by state agencies.
The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services confirmed later that Triangle C Investments LLC, which operated the Horseshoe Tavern, had gone without required workers’ compensation insurance from March 7th, 2024, until March 28th, 2025.
State regulators imposed a $7,397 civil penalty, and DCBS told the Prineville Review at the time that no payments had been made toward that penalty. Regulators also said another investigation was underway after the business reportedly continued operating without coverage.
The Oregon Lottery separately confirmed that it disabled the Horseshoe Tavern’s lottery machines in March 2025 over nonpayment issues and terminated its retailer contract in April.
Lottery officials told the Prineville Review later that year that Triangle C Investments still owed the agency nearly $10,000, which had been referred for collections.
Those problems emerged as former employees separately alleged unpaid wages and withheld tips, raising questions about the tavern’s finances before its eventual closure.
Suing and both of her respective companies now appear to be on the hook for approximately $25,000 to the state and former employees.
The Prineville Review has not yet obtained additional information on potential action or fines undertaken by DCBS for its second investigation into the now-former Horseshoe Tavern.
The property, which was formerly leased to Triangle C Investments to operate the Horseshoe Tavern, was later sold to new owners who now operate a local bar called the Cadillac’s, which opened earlier this year after an extensive renovation.
Mr. Alderman is an investigative journalist specializing in government transparency, non-profit accountability, consumer protection, and is a subject matter expert on Oregon’s public records and meetings laws. As a former U.S. Army Military Police Officer, he brings a disciplined investigative approach to his reporting that has frequently exposed ethics violations, financial mismanagement, and transparency failures by public officials and agencies.
