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City board member indicted for theft Nielsen, partner accused of bilking client for $40,000 By Jessica Smith A Jackson County grand jury on Thursday indicted a Medford planning commissioner accused of bilking more than $40,000 from one of his construction clients. The grand jury returned indictments against Dennis Nielsen and his business partner, Lee Mitchell Greenstone, on five counts of aggravated theft and four counts first-degree forgery. The men are scheduled for arraignment on the charges at 9 a.m. Feb. 15. Police arrested the pair Dec. 28 after investigating a complaint that their company, First Choice Construction, allegedly faked or altered invoices to increase the amount billed to Western Beverage Co. on Mason Way. Nielsen, 51, and Greenstone, 50, of Shady Cove, each originally faced one aggravated theft charge and seven counts of forgery and theft, both in the first degree. Karen Loomis, an assistant district attorney handling the prosecution against Nielsen and his partner, declined to discuss why the charges against the men changed. "All I can say is that�s what the grand jury came back with," Loomis said. She declined to discuss the case further. The grand jury listened to testimony from a Western Beverage representative and detectives who investigated the case before returning the indictments. When reached for comment Thursday afternoon, Nielsen and Greenstone declined to make a statement. Nielsen referred questions to his attorney, David Orf, who was unavailable for comment. In a December interview, Nielsen said his company was working to "clarify" a billing dispute with Western Beverage. He firmly denied he was involved in anything illegal and said he also believed his partner to be innocent of any wrongdoing. In addition to the felony charges, the grand jury on Thursday indicted the men for bidding on a contract when they didn�t have contractor�s licenses. Nielsen also was indicted for "unsworn falsification." He�s accused of lying on an application for a contractor�s license. Thursday�s indictments follow a tumultuous year for Nielsen, one of the Planning Commission�s most outspoken members. Last spring, Nielsen was admonished by the City Council for his allegedly "obtrusive, argumentative and disruptive" behavior as a commissioner. In November, Nielsen lost a second bid for a seat on the council to Bill Moore. It remains unclear what effect, if any, Nielsen�s legal troubles will have on his public service to Medford. He has applied for re-appointment to his seat on the Planning Commission, but the council won�t make its selections until Feb. 1. In addition to his position as a planning commissioner, Nielsen sits on the city�s Site Plan and Architectural Commission. Reach reporter Jessica Smith at 776-4481, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.