Two sentenced in North Dakota construction fraud scheme

WASHBURN, N.D. – Two men accused in a construction fraud scheme in McLean County have each been sentenced to 15 months in prison and have paid more than $700,000 in restitution.

Fifty-six-year-old Bartley Gorman Jr. and 27-year-old Sean Gorman, both of Minot, pleaded guilty to criminal charges, including exploitation of a vulnerable adult and construction fraud.

An affidavit filed in McLean County says the two men “victimized elderly or vulnerable people using residential construction fraud.”

A court affidavit says the two men are part of a crime ring known as Travelers, Irish Travelers and several other names and concentrated their efforts on construction scams in the rural areas of oil-producing North Dakota counties.