Sartell Man Accused of Defrauding Homeowners, Vulnerable Adults

by Lee Voss

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- A Sartell man faces nine felony charges for allegedly defrauding four homeowners out of more than $200,000.

Forty-two-year-old Travis Peterlin is accused of stealing $200,236.01 from homeowners in Stearns, Sherburne, and Isanti counties. Some of the charges include exploiting vulnerable adults.

According to the charges, the thefts happened between the fall of 2022 and the summer of 2023 when Peterlin worked as an estimator for a local home improvement company.

The charges allege Peterlin would tell customers that the company wouldn't do specific work but that he could do it "on the side". He would then take down payments and fail to complete the work.

In one case, Peterlin is accused of convincing an Isanti County woman to loan him more than $50,000 to buy a pickup and trailer he never bought. He also allegedly collected checks worth thousands of dollars from the woman for work that was either never done or greatly exceeded what it should have cost. She told an investigator that she felt she was being overcharged but was too embarrassed to tell her children. The woman's power of attorney was not present during the transactions. Court records indicate the woman was swindled out of more than $143,000.

In a separate instance, a St. Cloud man allegedly lost more than $68,000. The man told authorities he did not remember writing the checks and wondered whether they were stolen from his bedroom. The charges allege the checks were all deposited into Peterlin's bank account.

In that case, Peterlin is also accused of coercing the man to write out a $15,000 check for a Habitat for Humanity home improvement grant application that doesn't exist.

The charges against Peterlin range from theft-by-swindle to check forgery to the financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult.

Peterlin has court appearances scheduled for October and November.

Court records show he was fired from the company in July of 2023 when the fraud was discovered.

Full Article & Source:
Sartell Man Accused of Defrauding Homeowners, Vulnerable Adults