A man with a reputation for telling hard truths about life on the streets of Portland admitted in court to lying and stealing from the city of Gresham while providing homelessness services there.

Kevin Dahlgren pleaded guilty to first-degree theft, aggravated identity theft, and first-degree official misconduct Tuesday afternoon and is now serving a five-day jail sentence. He was hired as a consultant for the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office just before his arrest in 2023.

Dahlgren, 54, is well known on social media for his shocking videos of drug use and disorder in the Old Town neighborhood and beyond — outcomes he has blamed on a “homelessness industrial complex” that enables rather than saves.

But the indictments filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court in fall 2023 weren’t related to his political stance.

Dahlgren left his $80,000-a-year gig with the city of Gresham in March 2021. His supervisors had grown concerned that he was buying personal groceries and gas with a city procurement card, then disguising the purchases by saying he’d given the supplies to people who didn’t exist.

In court, Dahlgren admitted that he “made up identities and wrote the made-up names on receipts” and did so “with the intent to deceive.”

It’s unclear how much the scheme bilked from city coffers, but as part of the plea deal Dahlgren must pay back $16,000 to Gresham.

Circuit Judge David Rees ruled that Dahlgren can withdraw his guilty plea to first-degree theft in 90 days if he pays back the money and abides by the terms of his probation, which will last five years.