Minnesota pool contractor sentenced to 5 years for stealing $820K from 21 customers
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A Minnesota pool contractor is heading to federal prison after stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from homeowners who just wanted a backyard pool.
Pool contractor fraud
What we know:
Charles Ray Workman, 41, of Scott County, was sentenced to 60 months in prison on Sept. 3 after pleading guilty to wire fraud for defrauding 21 customers through his swimming pool construction company.
How the scheme worked
The backstory:
Authorities say Workman owned MN Crete Pools, LLC, a Minnesota company that marketed and sold concrete swimming pools to families and individuals throughout the Twin Cities area. Beginning in 2021 and continuing through 2022, he marketed and advertised concrete swimming pools and pool installation services to customers around Minnesota.
Workman told customers that their down payment would "secure" their spot in MN Crete Pools' workload for pool installation that same year — all while knowing the pools were unlikely to ever be completed.
Between April 2021 and June 2021, Workman collected down payments from roughly one customer a month and failed to complete pool projects for any of them. Despite that, he increased the rate at which he signed up customers and collected down payments throughout the remaining summer months. He sometimes falsely told customers he had only one spot left before continuing to sign up more customers after making that claim.
What he did with the money
Authorities say through the scheme, Workman stole at least $820,000 from his customers. Court documents show he used some of that money for personal expenses, including $3,000 in child support payments, $18,000 at a casino and more than $6,000 on a horse and saddle.
What they're saying:
"Workman defrauded hardworking Minnesotans and used those funds to enrich himself. Today's sentence ensures that he is held accountable for his actions," said United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.
What's next:
Workman was arrested on March 27, 2023, in Nashville, Tennessee and pleaded guilty on Sept. 16, 2025. He was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis and ordered to pay $1.15 million in restitution.
What we don't know:
It is not clear when Workman is expected to report to prison or whether any of the 21 defrauded customers have received restitution payments.
The Source: This case was investigated by the FBI, the Scott County Sheriff's Office, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Minnesota Attorney General's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Esther Soria Mignanelli prosecuted the case.