A Democrat county commissioner has been charged with eight felonies after allegedly conducting a major fraud scheme to steal tens of thousands of dollars from an elderly man.
In a Wednesday press release, the Oregon Department of Justice announced that 43-year-old Democrat Melissa Fireside, who was recently elected as a commissioner in Oregon’s Clackamas County, had been charged with eight counts of theft and was arraigned at the Clackamas County courthouse on Wednesday.
According to the Oregon Department of Justice, the eight-count indictment against the Democrat official came after an investigation by the Oregon Department of Justice’s Criminal Justice Division and the Lake Oswego Police Department. Wednesday’s press release explained that District Attorney John Wentworth asked the Oregon Department of Justice to review criminal allegations against Fireside “due to a conflict of interest” after she was elected to her position in November.
The Oregon Department of Justice noted that Fireside was charged with “taking financial advantage of an 83-year-old man while accessing a computer network” and with forging both the man’s signature and Oregon State Representative April Dobson’s signature as part of the fraud scheme.
The charges against the Democrat county commissioner include two counts of identity theft, two counts of first-degree forgery, two counts of computer crimes, one count of first-degree theft, and one count of first-degree aggravated theft.
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“It does not matter who you are, which political party you’re in, or what position you hold, we will aggressively prosecute those who victimize Oregon’s seniors,” Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said in Wednesday’s press release. “When someone in a position of public trust takes advantage of our seniors, it is a betrayal on multiple levels.”
The indictment against Fireside claims that she “unlawfully and knowingly accessed a computer for the purpose of committing theft of money” and forged or altered a $29,000 promissory note and a $30,000 promissory note in 2024.
Clackamas County Commissioner Ben West, a Republican, has urged the Democrat commissioner to resign following the charges.
“Law enforcement has informed me that the case against Commissioner Fireside is incredibly strong, and allegedly, she preyed upon and abused an elderly man with significant health and cognitive issues,” West said in a statement to The Post Millennial. “Preying on those who can’t defend themselves is the worst type of crime. Commissioner Fireside must resign and step down to address her felony charges. My top priority is protecting the county and the vulnerable populations in our care.”
West also shared pictures of Fireside on social media, demanding that she “RESIGN” instead of taking an “extended leave of absence.”
