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Company wants money back from businessmen A company wants to recover more than $50,000 from a former Medford planning commissioner and his business partner, who are accused of fraud. According to court papers filed by McDonald Candy Co. Inc., which does business in Medford as Western Beverage Co., Dennis Nielsen and his partner, Lee Mitchell Greenstone, allegedly cheated the company by charging more for their services than was agreed to. The allegation concurs with those made by police in December when they arrested Nielsen, 51, and Greenstone, 50, who jointly run First Choice Construction. In an investigation prompted by a complaint from McDonald Candy, police said they discovered Nielsen and Greenstone had faked or altered invoices to increase the amount billed for work on Western Beverage�s Mason Way office. In a civil suit against Nielsen and Greenstone, filed Feb. 7 in Jackson County Circuit Court, McDonald seeks reimbursement for the overcharges. McDonald also asked for and was granted a restraining order to stop Nielsen or Greenstone from selling any property they own. Nielsen declined to comment when reached at home. Greenstone was not available for comment, nor was the attorney representing McDonald Candy. Papers filed with the county, however, allege that First Choice agreed to a flat rate of $40,000 for remodeling work at the Western Beverage office. First Choice billed the client an extra $50,000 or more, McDonald Candy representatives claim in their suit. In December, Nielsen said his company was working to "clarify" a billing dispute with Western Beverage. He denied he was involved in anything illegal and said he believed his partner also is innocent. A Jackson County grand jury indicted Nielsen and Greenstone each on five counts aggravated theft and four counts first-degree forgery. The pair, arraigned Feb. 7 on the charges, pleaded not guilty. It remains unclear what effect the case will have on Nielsen�s ability to serve the city. Though the council chose not to re-appoint Nielsen to the planning commission earlier this year, he still sits on the city�s Site Plan and Architectural Commission. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.