Steven Metheny, 42, of Central Point and Levi Phillips, 45, of Grants Pass were indicted last week by a federal grand jury sitting in Medford.

Metheny was a former vice President of Carson Helicopters Inc. Both Metheny and Phillips were charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States Forest Service involving contracts awarded to Carson Helicopters in 2008 for services in firefighting operations.

Metheny was also charged in 22 other counts with mail and wire fraud, making false statements to the forest service, endangering the safety of aircraft in flight and theft from an interstate shipment.