(OTTER TAIL COUNTY, MINN) — A Fargo man is being charged with theft by swindle.
Gregory Deforest Johnson is alleged to have given a church in Otter Tail County a proposal for repair and replacement of shingles on a church from a company owned by Johnson. The $26,000 proposal included a required $7,000 pre-payment to purchase the shingles. Johnson brought equipment to the church and, in July 2024, the church made a law enforcement report stating Johnson had not been at the church to do the service. Johnson claimed one of his employees had quit and that employee was the one who would have climbed the steeple, and he was unable to acquire another employee to do the job. He told the investigator that he would either come back or return the pre-payment — and never has.
The charge carries a maximum 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
