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MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Minnesota Pool Contractor Sentenced to Five Years for Defrauding 21 Customers
Federal prosecutors say Charles Workman took at least $820,000 from customers who hired his company to build swimming pools and was ordered to pay $1.15 million in restitution.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (September 5, 2026). A Minnesota swimming-pool contractor has been sentenced to five years in federal prison after admitting that he collected large customer payments for projects he knew were unlikely to be completed.
U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis sentenced Charles Ray Workman, 41, of Scott County, Thursday to 60 months in federal prison for wire fraud.
Workman was also ordered to pay approximately $1.15 million in restitution.
Federal prosecutors say 21 customers were victimized through the scheme.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for Minnesota, Workman owned and operated Minnesota Crete Pools LLC, which marketed swimming pools and installation services to customers across the state.
Between approximately 2021 and 2022, customers provided substantial down payments to Workman's company.
Federal prosecutors said Workman accepted the money despite knowing that many of the pool projects were unlikely to be completed.
Authorities calculated that he took at least $820,000 from customers through the fraudulent scheme.
For many affected families, the losses extended beyond unfinished swimming pools.
Customers had already altered yards, removed landscaping or prepared properties for construction that either stalled or never occurred.
The case began receiving significant public attention in 2022 as Twin Cities families reported paying Workman large sums while receiving little or no completed work.
Federal court documents later alleged that portions of customer funds were diverted to expenses unrelated to completing their projects.
Workman was arrested in Nashville, Tennessee, in March 2023.
He ultimately pleaded guilty to wire fraud on September 16, 2025.
The criminal prosecution followed separate consumer-protection action involving the Minnesota Attorney General's Office.
CBS Minnesota reported that the sentencing judge imposed a term above the recommended range and that U.S. Marshals took Workman into custody immediately after Thursday's hearing.
The $1.15 million restitution order exceeds the $820,000 federal prosecutors specifically identified as money stolen through the charged scheme, reflecting the broader financial losses established in the case.
Whether victims ultimately recover the full restitution amount can depend on the defendant's available assets and earning capacity after incarceration.
The prosecution illustrates a recurring challenge in large home-improvement projects.
Consumers can be asked to provide substantial deposits before construction begins, leaving them financially vulnerable when a contractor fails, abandons a project or deliberately misuses the money.
The federal case against Workman crossed from a contractual dispute into criminal fraud because prosecutors established that he knowingly accepted customer funds despite understanding that the promised work was unlikely to be delivered.
The five-year sentence now concludes the principal criminal prosecution.
For the 21 customers identified by federal authorities, however, the financial consequences are likely to continue long after Workman enters prison.
Their restitution judgments may survive for years.
Their unfinished projects already have.
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