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3 days ago
- Business
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Properties seized in $1.1 million Door County fraud conviction to go to auction
Two properties and their contents seized as part of a large-scale fraud investigation in Door County are going up for auction now that the man accused of the frauds was convicted, the Door County Sheriff's Office announced. They belonged to Dale Forrest Pautsch, 81, of the town of Nasewaupee, who pleaded no contest during a Feb. 12 appearance in Door County Circuit Court to 15 charges of defrauding almost two dozen elderly Door County residents out of more than $1.1 million. Going up for auction are a residential property at 8089 Stewart Lane in Nasewaupee, which was listed as Pautsch's residence in the state court system, and a business property, the Little Brown Jug tavern at 8952 County C in the town of Gardner. The complaint against Pautsch accused him of using proceeds gained from his fraudulent actions to buy the Little Brown Jug in December of 2016 and cover its expenses. The contents of both properties also will be sold. Pautsch initially was arrested and charged with four counts against two victims in June 2024, but the Door County Sheriff's Office and Sturgeon Bay Police Department announced at the time that they would want to hear from others who may have been defrauded by him. According to the complaint, the Sturgeon Bay Police Department began investigating Pautsch in September of 2022 for work Pautsch had performed as a tax preparer and investment consultant for an 81-year-old woman. The complaint said checks from the woman that were meant for investments and a tax bill were instead deposited into a personal bank account in Pautsch's wife's name and used by Pautsch for personal expenses. Meanwhile, the sheriff's office began an investigation in May 2024 that, according to the complaint, saw Pautsch use more than $610,000 deposited by an 85-year-old woman over five years into a wealth management account set up by him to instead buy the Little Brown Jug and cover tavern expenses as well as personal expenses. The woman attempted to withdraw money from the account in May and was told the account was empty and was closed in January 2023. Eventually, Pautsch ended up being charged with 13 counts of theft in a business setting and two counts of money laundering. Two of the 13 theft counts were for amounts of more than $100,000, eight were for amounts between $10,000 and $100,000, two for amounts of $5,000 to $10,000 and one for an amount between $2,500 and $5,000. One of the money laundering counts was for an amount of more than $100,000 and the other for an amount between $10,000 and $100,000. All are felonies and carry a modifier for crimes against an elderly or disabled person. Auction of the seized properties and assets will be handled by Massart Auctioneers, Inc., of Green Bay. Moveable assets and property from the Little Brown Jug will be sold by online auction on the Massart Auctioneers website, expected to start on or about May 13, while moveable assets and property from the residence is expected to go to auction on or about June 12, also via an online auction on Massart's website. Information for the auction of the real estate for both properties will be announced later. Pautsch is awaiting sentencing, with a hearing scheduled for 1 p.m. May 29. For more information about the auctions, call Massart Auctioneers at 920-468-1113 or email michelle@ Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@ MORE: Village of Egg Harbor to have high-speed internet by April 2027 MORE: New Door County cooking school gives students a chance to cook, then dine afterward MORE: Highway between Egg Harbor and Baileys Harbor to close for road work FOR MORE DOOR COUNTY NEWS: Check out our website This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Properties seized in $1.1 million Door County fraud case go to auction
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3 days ago
- General
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Cellcom users in Door County were unable to call 911 to report a camper fire
A camper owner and a local Door County fire chief were repeatedly unable to contact emergency services by calling 911 through their Cellcom service provider during efforts to extinguish a camper fire May 27. Cellcom says 911 service should have been working as it continues to recover from a cyberattack that shut down most of its phone services since May 14. Southern Door Fire Department Chief Rich Olson said he received a call at about 12:20 a.m. May 27 from the owner of a property on County J in the town of Clay Banks, who knew Olson's personal cellphone number, about the camper fire. "(The property owner) told me (the camper owner) attempted to call 911 four times but could not get through," Olson said. After being told of the fire, Olson then tried calling 911 himself through his phone but also couldn't make contact. He said he then used the department's nonemergency paging system to dispatch responders to the scene of the fire. The camper owner's and Olson's phones use Cellcom, whose customers have been the victims of outages since the night of May 14 following what is now being reported as a cyberattack. Cellcom customers generally have been able to call other Cellcom users but not users of other phone service carriers. Cellcom and its parent company, Howard-based Nsight, issued a Facebook post May 19 that said 911 calls made through Cellcom were working, as well as SMS texts, internet service, other communication apps such as WhatsApp and calls to other Cellcom users. Customers continued to have difficulty making calls to non-Cellcom phone lines, although a May 27 update on the company website said, "Services, including both inbound and outbound calling and text messaging, are performing well for most customers following recent restoration efforts." It also said problems may crop up intermittently as stabilization of the system continues, and those having problems should try rebooting their phones before contacting customer support. In a statement issued following the camper fire, Cellcom didn't directly address the claims of being unable to call 911 but said it followed protocols from the federal government to maintain 911 access by rerouting those calls to other networks in case of an outage. "We are sorry to hear about the recent camper fire incident," the statement said. "There are longstanding, industry-wide federal protocols in place to protect access to 911 during any carrier-specific outage. These protocols ensure that emergency calls are rerouted through other available networks during any carrier outage. We followed those protocols in full and our systems remained in compliance since the outage began." Cellcom did not immediately respond to the Door County Advocate if the company was looking into the matter, or planning to do so. The camper is a total loss, and it's not known what started the fire. The owner, who asked not to be identified, said the camper, a new one he has owned for about a month and a half, was unoccupied and nothing was plugged in at the time. He said even if his first 911 call had connected, he thinks the camper would've been a total loss because it was engulfed by flames already. The owner said responders arrived within minutes, and Olson said five Southern Door firetrucks and 14 firefighters were on hand to fight the blaze for about an hour, with an assist from the Brussels-Union-Gardner Fire Department. Although the camper owner feels a successful 911 call wouldn't have saved the camper, both he and and Olson said they were disappointed the system failed them when they needed it. "My understanding is, it should have worked," Olson said. "It's disappointing that the 911 system didn't work. I hope (the outage is) resolved pretty soon." Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@ MORE: Popular Door County performer raising funds for first new album in years MORE: Former Sister Bay health care building is now a small business center FOR MORE DOOR COUNTY NEWS: Check out our website This story was updated to add new information. This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Cellcom users in Door County unable to call 911 to report a fire
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
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'Truly evil': Door County man gets max sentence for defrauding clients of $1.1 million
STURGEON BAY - An 81-year-old town of Nasewaupee man received the maximum sentence allowable for his conviction on 15 felony charges of defrauding almost two dozen elderly Door County residents out of more than $1.1 million in his role as their financial planner and tax preparer. Dale Forrest Pautsch was sentenced May 29 by Door County Judge Jennifer Moeller to a total of 15 consecutive years in a state prison, one year for each of the 15 counts, which includes a modifier for crimes against an elderly or disabled person. He also will serve another 15 years of extended supervision, again one year consecutively for each count, when and if he is released. Pautsch also is prohibited from owning or operating a business, working as a financial adviser or tax preparer, and handling anyone else's money or checks. His assets, which include a home in Nasewaupee and a business he bought and ran with proceeds from his crimes, the Little Brown Jug tavern in the town of Gardner, were seized after he was convicted and are going on auction to help Pautsch make financial restitution to his victims. It was revealed in court during the sentencing hearing that the pre-sentence investigation of Pautsch recommended he be sentenced to three to four years in prison, citing his age and that he seemed to show remorse and take responsibility for his actions. But nine people who were victims of Pautsch gave impact statements in court, along with one letter read aloud by District Attorney Colleen Nordin, that said they were devastated by Pautsch's crimes against them, not just because of their financial losses – one woman lost more than $610,000, another person more than $100,000 and eight people between $10,000 and $100,000 – but also because of extreme emotional and mental distress. Several asked the court to sentence Pautsch to at least enough time that would essentially become a life sentence for the 81-year-old. "Dale took our money, took our life, took my trust, my spirit," a victim named Joann said in court (last names of victims who gave statements were not given to protect their identities), adding that Pautsch took advantage of working with her husband when he was dealing with dementia. "I ask you to sentence Dale to enough years that he will never see the light of day again." "My world has been turned upside-down because of Dale Pautsch's actions," said a victim named Carol, who noted Pautsch was making financial plans with her husband while the husband was in the hospital recovering from a stroke. "I absolutely feel he should be given the maximum sentence for each of his crimes." "Anyone who commits a crime against the elderly is truly evil," said a man who identified himself as a son-in-law of one of the victims. "He needs to be locked up so he cannot find other people to steal from." Several also said they gave money to Pautsch for him to file tax returns that never were filed, and they've been dealing with the IRS and state Department of Revenue as those agencies are seeking to collect, with interest and penalties for late fees. A woman named Carolyn said she and her husband had to take out loans against her husband's life insurance policy and their retirement accounts to make payments to the IRS. She said they've suffered with sleeplessness, stress and related health issues since they learned they were defrauded by Pautsch. "We would like to be retired but we can't afford it now," she said. "We feel betrayed. (Pautsch) has to suffer the way we do every day." A victim named Jeremiah said he and his family are now receiving monthly notices from the IRS because of Pautsch's work for them. "My family has had stress, worry, anxiety and crushed spirits because of Mr. Pautsch," he said. "What was done was not a mistake, it was willful deception. Mr. Pautsch has proven to be the most cunning, most deceptive person I've ever met. ... We paid our taxes, did as we were told, and we're the ones made to feel like criminals. If not for his greed, none of this would've happened." A victim named Elizabeth said Pautsch was initially charged, and she started receiving notices – which she she is still getting – from the IRS, at about the same time her father died. "I should have been grieving with my family," she said. "Instead, I was buried in paperwork and paying money to the IRS to prevent them from taking my home. I will never get that back." In her request for the maximum sentence, Nordin said she "couldn't disagree more" with the pre-sentence investigation recommendation of a three- to four-year sentence. Nordin not only leaned on the victim statements given in court but also written statements from other victims who said Pautsch went out of his way to befriend them, "cozy up" to them and ultimately learn their vulnerabilities, then take advantage of them. She cited how many victims said they were devastated and still dealing with anxiety while trying to repair their lives, financially and otherwise. "He was a predator," Nordin said. "He sought out people, gained their trust, groomed them, found them when they were vulnerable." Nordin also challenged the pre-sentence report's conclusion that Pautsch was remorseful and took responsibility for his actions, noting several disparaging remarks Pautsch made about some of his victims in the report, including two who are immigrants. She also noted that while in county jail awaiting the resolution of his cases, Pautsch received whistleblower forms from the state Department of Revenue that he filled out to attempt to accuse his victims of financial fraud, not him. She surmised Pautsch did this not only to try to absolve himself but also to collect the state's whistleblower fees. The forms were intercepted at the jail before they could be mailed. "Saying those people were scamming the system, not him, doesn't show responsibility or remorse," Nordin said. Nordin said she wanted Pautsch to receive the maximum sentence for each count, not less time for counts involving less money, because those victims also have experienced suffering. She also said the sentence shouldn't be light because of Pautsch's age and current health issues. "Being 81 years old does not take away what he did to them," Nordin said. "I realize he may not walk away from this, and I'm perfectly fine with that." Defense attorney Brett Reetz acknowledged the victim statements were compelling and moving, but he maintained Pautsch was remorseful and said Pautsch wasn't in a position to exploit people any more given his age and health. "He does understand what he did, why it was wrong and how wrong it was," Reetz said. "He initially had genuine belief he had power of attorney ... initially did not understand he was wrong. Now he does. I've been working with Dale to help him understand what he took was not their money, it was their life. "I'm not asking to take this lightly, to give him a slap on the wrist. He's now a penniless, elderly man with serious health concerns. He has nothing left to give." Pautsch apologized to his victims and told the court he wants them to get their money back. "I hurt a lot of people very badly," he said. "Everything they worked for, I took. I'm embarrassed for my family, my friends. I'm truly ashamed for what I've become and what I've done." Before passing sentence, Moeller noted the devastating impact victims said they experienced because of Pautsch's crimes and how he found victims who were especially vulnerable. She also said the pre-sentence report indicated Pautsch's remorse my have been more because he was caught than for his actions. "It's the money, but it's so much more," Moeller said. "People used phrases like, he destroyed my family, he destroyed my life, crushed my spirit, devastated, demoralized, taking away my trust. It's inconceivable how you thought you were helping them." Along with the sentence, a hearing was scheduled for 1 p.m. Nov. 3 to review the progress of restitution Pautsch is making to his victims. Pautsch entered not guilty pleas during his Aug. 19 initial court appearance but changed his pleas to no contest during a Feb. 12 appearance. He initially was arrested and charged with four counts against two victims last June, but subsequent investigation by the Door County Sheriff's Office and Sturgeon Bay Police Department found others who were defrauded by him. All told, Pautsch was charged with and pleaded no contest to 13 counts of theft in a business setting and two counts of money laundering. Two of the 13 theft counts were for amounts of more than $100,000 – one of the victims lost more than $610,000, according to the initial complaint – eight were for amounts between $10,000 and $100,000, two for amounts of $5,000 to $10,000 and one for an amount between $2,500 and $5,000. One of the money laundering counts was for an amount of more than $100,000 and the other for an amount between $10,000 and $100,000. The money was used by Pautsch for personal expenses and buy the Little Brown Jug and cover tavern expenses. Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@ MORE: Cellcom users in Door County unable to call 911 to report a fire MORE: Popular Door County performer raising funds for first new album in years FOR MORE DOOR COUNTY NEWS: Check out our website This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Door County man Pautsch gets 15-year sentence for defrauding clients
