A Forest Lake man with an extensive criminal history is accused of duping a dozen local businesses out of more than $232,000 in motorsports and construction equipment over five months last year by writing bad checks and giving false promises.

Richard Patrick Wooton, 54, was charged with theft by swindle and theft by representation last month for the alleged fraudulent buys at businesses that include Tousley Motorsports in Vadnais Heights — twice — Forest Lake Trailer, Hugo Equipment Co. and Tri-State Bobcat in Burnsville.

Richard Patrick Wooton (Courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Corrections)

Hennepin County prosecutors filed the charges against Wooton, who in November began serving a nearly two-year prison sentence on a theft by swindle conviction out of Wright County.

Wooton has 25 theft-related criminal convictions in Minnesota dating back three decades, according to the latest criminal complaint, which describes him as a “career offender.”

“Richard Patrick Wooton has five or more prior felony convictions and this offense is part of a pattern of criminal conduct,” the complaint says.

Wooton also has three other open felony theft-by-swindle cases out of Anoka, Hennepin and Stearns counties that are pending in court, records show. In the Hennepin County case, filed in June 2022, Wooton allegedly stole $849,734 from 35 homeowners who paid him upfront for remodeling projects that either were not started or completed between July 2017 and July 2018.

Insufficient funds

The latest criminal complaint says Wooton carried out another swindling spree from May 25 through Oct. 11. A police investigation showed he was behind 13 fraudulent purchases of motor sports and construction equipment — totaling $232,204.19 — in Anoka, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Kandiyohi, Ramsey, Scott and Washington counties.

Wooton paid for all the goods with checks from three Bank of America accounts, two that were in his name and the other in his girlfriend’s name. “At no time did (Wooton) have sufficient funds to cover these checks,” the complaint says.

According to the complaint, the thefts include:

$48,500 on May 25 from Tri-State Bobcat in Burnsville for a skid steer and a trailer, which Wooton then sold the same day to a business in Faribault.

$5,429 on June 30 from Ecofun Motorsports in Columbus for three Escape scooters, which were later recovered during the execution of a search warrant at Wooton’s residence in Balsam Lake, Wis.

$22,133 on Aug. 8 from Tousley Motorsports in Vadnais Heights for two Honda dirt bikes and $13,352 four days later for a Seadoo boat.

$5,435 on Sept. 15 from Forest Lake Trailer for a trailer, which was recovered in Wisconsin.

$8,830 on Sept. 20 from Frankies Live Bait and Marine in Chisago City for an ATV.

$18,250 on Oct. 3 from Hugo Equipment Company in Hugo for a Toro Zero Turn lawn mower.

The complaint alleges Wooton also swindled: Hallberg Marine in Wyoming ($7,846); Ultimate Golf Carts in Rogers ($14,500); Cities Edge Motorsports in Shakopee ($18,120);  Motor Sports of Willmar in Willmar ($17,669); Simply Ride in Eden Prairie ($22,426); and Central Trailer Sales in East Bethel ($17,555).

In nearly all the cases, the businesses reached Wooton after the checks bounced and he told them he’d either send another check or come in and pay with a credit card. He didn’t do either, the complaint says.

Investigators learned Wooton sold some of the goods on Facebook Marketplace. Other items were recovered at Wisconsin properties connected to his girlfriend and her family, the complaint says.

Wooton is scheduled to make an initial appearance on the latest charges on Tuesday.

A jail no-show

In the case that sent him to prison in November, Wooton conned a Clearwater man into giving him $10,000 in 2019 for the purchase of a motorhome that didn’t exist. Wooton claimed that his uncle from Montana had recently died and his estate was selling the motorhome, the criminal complaint says. Investigators learned he didn’t have an uncle in Montana.

A judge in May 2022 sentenced Wooton to 90 days in jail and stayed a 21-month prison sentence for 10 years, during which he’d been on supervised probation monitored by the Minnesota Department of Corrections. He was also ordered to pay the theft victim $11,500.

Wooton’s jail turn-in date was delayed several times because of heart surgery and recovery time, according to court records. When a final turn-in date arrived, he was a no-show. A contested revocation hearing was held Nov. 8, with a judge ultimately executing the prison sentence.

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