City investigating Portland firm over possible $2 million fraud
City of Portland officials believe they have uncovered evidence that the owners of a successful painting company fraudulently obtained certification as a woman-run business to win more than $2 million in city contracts.
Investigators say there are indications that Portland Coatings, ostensibly owned and run by Terezia Nyland, was not independent from a painting company owned by her husband when it landed the contracts. That would disqualify it from being considered woman-run under city and state rules.
City officials are wading into uncharted territory as they investigate Portland Coatings’ credentials. They are trying for the first time to exercise oversight powers granted to them by the Oregon Legislature in 2015, but have run into determined resistance from Portland Coatings.
The investigation has been underway for nearly two years but had not attracted attention until now, even as it spilled into Multnomah County Circuit Court, where Terezia and Michael Nyland filed suit to thwart a city subpoena. In the process, the couple cast the city investigation as an abuse of power and a “sexist” ploy against a successful woman entrepreneur.
Read more: https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2019/04/city-investigating-portland-firm-over-possible-2-million-fraud.html