WASHBURN, N.D. (AP) - Two men accused in a construction fraud scheme in McLean County have each been sentenced to 15 months in prison and have paid more than $700,000 in restitution.
Bartley Gorman Jr., 56, and Sean Gorman, 27, both of Minot, pleaded guilty to criminal charges, including exploitation of a vulnerable adult and construction fraud.
According to prosecutors, Sean Gorman used deceptive tactics and intimidation to get a Garrison man to pay $42,000 for construction work he didn’t request. An affidavit filed in McLean County says the two men “victimized elderly or vulnerable people using residential construction fraud.”
In one case, the two men were accused of deceiving an elderly widow on some fraudulent home improvements and charging her $6,700.
A court affidavit says the two men are part of a crime ring known as Travelers, Irish Travelers and several other names and concentrated their efforts on construction scams in the rural areas of oil-producing North Dakota counties.
South Central District Judge James Hill suspended half of the 30-month jail sentence he ordered for each man Monday.
In McLean County, Bartley Gorman has paid $63,000 in restitution and Sean Gorman has paid $42,000 in restitution as part of the plea agreement.
They’ve also paid $666,000 to McKenzie County victims who were discovered during the investigation, the Bismarck Tribune reported.
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