In court, a man known for delivering harsh realities about living on Portland’s streets acknowledged deceiving and embezzling money from the city of Gresham while working as a homeless services provider.
Kevin Dalghren is currently serving a five-day jail sentence after entering a guilty plea to first-degree theft, aggravated identity theft, and first-degree official misconduct Tuesday afternoon.
Dahlgren, 54, is well-known on social media for his startling footage of drug usage and chaos in the Old Town district. He has also blamed the results on an industrial complex of homelessness that facilitates rather than prevents homelessness.
However, his political views had nothing to do with the indictments that were submitted to Multnomah County Circuit Court in the fall of 2023.
According to a recent story by The Oregonian/OregonLive, Dahlgren quit his $80,000-per-year position with the city of Gresham in March 2021. His managers were worried that he was using a public procurement card to purchase gas and personal goods, then hiding the purchases by claiming that he had delivered the materials to fictitious individuals.
Dahlgren acknowledged in court that he purposefully misled people by creating false identities and writing them on receipts.
The amount that the scheme embezzled from city funds is unknown, however Dahlgren is required to reimburse Gresham $16,000 as part of the plea agreement.
Dahlgren has 90 days to rescind his guilty plea to first-degree theft, according to Circuit Judge David Rees, provided he repays the money and follows the conditions of his five-year probation.
On Wednesday morning, Dahlgren was recorded as being detained at the county’s downtown jail. A request for comment was not immediately answered by his lawyer.
Dahlgren mostly avoided discussing the criminal allegations, but he kept posting while his case was still pending.
For The Oregonian/OregonLive, Zane Sparling reports on court proceedings and breaking news. You may contact him at [email protected], 503-319-7083, or pdxzane.
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