Out-of-state arrest of pool contractor delays justice for Minnesota victims
A pool contractor at the center of a WCCO investigation is facing more trouble. A recent arrest out-of-state pushed Tuesday's change of plea hearing back.
Charles Workman is accused of fraudulently soliciting more than $750,000 from Twin Cities families, promising a swimming pool and instead leaving backyards in ruin or without any work done at all.
Workman's latest issue is making victims in Minnesota wait longer for justice. Workman was scheduled to change his plea to guilty in court Tuesday morning. It's something victims have been waiting for. Instead, he's in jail for an indictment out of Tennessee.
Here's what WCCO knows: Workman was picked up in Allen County, Kentucky mid-August. He is in jail for a situation in Tennessee. There the Overton Sheriff's Office says he's accused of felony theft.
According to the police report, a man later identified as Workman paid $18,277.80 for concrete. And "the day after the concrete was poured," the victim "discovered the check was bad."
Workman's latest arrest forced prosecutors to push back his change of plea hearing. It's connected to an indictment for wire fraud that came in March of 2023 following a WCCO investigation. It's all related to his promise of a backyard pool for more than a dozen families that never happened. The U.S. Attorney's office calls it a scheme to defraud people.
The U.S. Attorney's office says they are working to reschedule the change of plea hearing as soon as possible. Workman's attorney had no comment.
In a separate case, the Attorney General's office secured a civil judgment against Workman two years ago. A judge ordered him to pay more than a million dollars in restitution. So far, WCCO is told he hasn't paid a dime.