A Brownsdale man is in jail after investigators say he swindled his neighbors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The complaint says Dale Schlichting told clients he was investing the money or opening an insurance policy.
But instead, that money would go straight into a bank account under his name.
49 year-old Schlichting was arrested Wednesday morning in Brownsdale.
State authorities have taken paperwork, files and computers from his business in Hayfield.
Schlichting's DSI Agency was located in downtown Hayfield...
Some of his victims lived just a few blocks away, and in other area small towns.
A criminal complaint says Schlichting has taken money from 23 parties since October of 2003.
So far, the deposits total more than 700-thousand dollars.
The Dodge County Attorney's office quickly made sure Schlichting's bank account was frozen, so victims can possibly receive their money back.
"The length, depth and breadth won't be known for sometime. Vast amounts of paper work and computers to go through before they can determine and identify all the victims of course if they come forward and contact the insurance fraud investigation unit, that will simplify that process and help us identify them sooner," said Assistant County Attorney Gary ReMine.
The county attorney's office says Schlichting's case will most likely be turned over to federal authorities because of the amount of money involved.
Right now he is charged with one count of theft-by-swindle and two counts of insurance fraud...
Each count is considered a felony and carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
If you were a client of Schlichting's, or feel you could be a victim of insurance fraud, you can contact the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
They have a special hotline at 888-FRAUD-MN.