MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota swimming pool contractor who collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in customer down payments while knowing many of the projects would never be completed was sentenced Wednesday to five years in federal prison, officials announced Friday.
Charles Ray Workman, 41, of Scott County, defrauded 21 customers who hired his company, Minnesota Crete Pools LLC, to build and install swimming pools, according to court documents.
From about 2021 through 2022, Workman marketed swimming pools and installation services and required customers to make down payments. Prosecutors said he accepted the money despite knowing the promised pools were unlikely to be completed.
Workman stole at least $820,000 through the scheme, court records show.
U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis sentenced Workman on Sept. 3 to 60 months in prison and ordered him to pay $1.15 million in restitution.
Workman was arrested March 27, 2023, in Nashville, Tennessee. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud on Sept. 16, 2025.
Earlier news reports described unfinished projects, damaged backyards and families who said they had lost tens of thousands of dollars. Minnesota authorities previously obtained a civil judgment barring Workman and his company from the state’s residential construction industry.
🔴 Quick Fact Checklist
🔴 Defendant: Charles Ray Workman, 41
🔴 Residence: Scott County, Minnesota
🔴 Company: Minnesota Crete Pools LLC
🔴 Federal charge: Wire fraud
🔴 Customers defrauded: 21
🔴 Amount stolen: At least $820,000
🔴 Restitution ordered: $1.15 million
🔴 Prison sentence: Five years
🔴 Arrested: March 27, 2023, in Nashville
🔴 Guilty plea: Sept. 16, 2025
🔴 Sentenced: Sept. 3, 2026
🔴 Judge: U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis
🔴 Court: U.S. District Court in Minnesota