Woke ex-Oregon county commissioner who fled US hit with federal wire fraud charges over pandemic-era loan scheme

The federal indictment accuses former Clackamas County commissioner Melissa Fireside of submitting several applications in 2020 to the Small Business Administration on behalf of several businesses, using her mother’s identity. The federal indictment alleged that she falsely stated that the loan was for a business operated by her mother and employed 15 people. She also attempted to get funding for several other businesses, seeking $150,000. The request was denied, per the Oregonian.

She tried again in 2021, again using her mother’s identity as well as her email address to apply for the federal pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program, the indictment alleged. She claimed in the application that the business had 15 employees, and a monthly payroll of around $116,000.

Included in that application were fraudulent tax forms and “fictitious” bank statements. She successfully obtained $290,795 from the DBA. The money was wired to a bank account that listed her mother as the owner, however, Fireside controlled the account, federal authorities said.

A state grand jury indicted Fireside on 19 felony charges earlier in 2026, being accused of exploiting her mother’s identity in the thefts. The state indictment said that Gertrude Fireside, Melissa Fireside’s mother, was unaware of the thefts until the summer of 2025.

She had previously faced charges involving theft from an elderly friend of her mother’s and fled the area with her school-age son ahead of the trial date for those charges. The state Justice Department said in October that Fireside had allegedly booked an October 30 flight from Mexico to Amsterdam, making the reservation with a valid Austrian passport. She was said to have possibly entered Mexico using fake identification.

The Democrat, who participated in BLM protests in 2020, took office in January of 2025, and was indicted one month later. She resigned in March of that year.