A Door County man has been convicted of stealing over $1 million from victims in a money laundering scheme.
Door County Sheriff Tammy Sternard says 81-year-old Dale Forest Pautsch of Nasewaupee was convicted of 15 felony counts, including charges of theft from a business setting and money laundering.
Over the last 10 months, sheriff’s deputies and Sturgeon Bay Police have been investigating a large-scale theft and money laundering operation and found that 23 victims lost $1,138,000.
The target of the investigation ended up being Pautsch, who was arrested in June 2024.
Pautsch’s property was eventually seized and included a business in the town of Gardner, a house, and rental properties in the Town of Nasewaupee.
Two vehicles, a UTV, jewelry, and $160,000 were also seized.
Pautsch is currently in the Door County Jail awaiting sentencing in May of this year.
