Bron Austin Deal Sentenced

Bron Austin Deal was sentenced today to 60 days in the Larimer County Jail, 4 years of supervised probation as an Economic Crime Offender, and ordered to pay $24,617.18 in restitution following a guilty plea of Theft, a class 5 felony, and Fraud In Effecting Sales, a class 2 misdemeanor. The 8^th Judicial District Attorney’s Office secured Deal’s guilty plea on January 19^th, 2024.

Throughout 2022, Mr. Deal was found to have embezzled funds from the Gould Community Association, a non-profit organization of which he was the former Treasurer. Additionally, his business, Never Summer Nordic (N2N) which owned and operated eight Yurt-style cabins, continued accepting online payments even after the Colorado State Forest Parks terminated their business contract.

The 8^th Judicial District Attorney’s Office prosecution team, led by Economic Crimes Prosecutor, Matthew Pring, presented evidence to the Court showing that Deal knowingly embezzled funds and defrauded customers throughout 2022. Pring stated in his argument, “Our justice system is not equipped to hold Mr. Deal accountable for the full extent of his crimes,” said Pring. “The amount of restitution cannot equate to the amount of benefit he received from his crimes.”

Throughout the investigation, 107 victims were identified. Given that the victims were from throughout the country, our office was still able to secure $24,000 for the victims who had not received reimbursement through other legal avenues and had been defrauded.

This case has impacted both the Walden and Jackson County communities significantly, and several victims wrote letters to inform Judge Jourard of the effect that Deal’s actions had on their community. 

“Economic crime can be truly devastating to people, and in this case, community organizations who have lost their hard-earned money to someone they trusted with nowhere to turn, said DA Gordon McLaughlin. “I am thankful for the District Attorney team who fought to make these victims whole again and hope this puts those intending to defraud others in our community on notice.”

Below are some of the requirements for probation for someone who has been deemed an Economic Crime Offender by the court. This list does not include the terms included in traditional probation.

Economic Crime Probation

• Not acquiring any new debt or entering into any new financial contracts or obligations unless approved by the probation officer.
• Not owning a business or being employed/volunteered in a position where they have access to finances or personal information of other individuals unless approved by the probation officer.
• Furnishing budgets, financial documents (tax records and bank statements), and credit reports when requested by the probation officer.
• Notify the probation officer of all current or pending civil actions, including bankruptcies.
• Cooperate with an independent financial audit and/or tracking of finances by a third party as requested by the probation officer.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of fraud or scams, please visit the Larimer County Sheriff’s Crime Prevention Unit.

https://www.larimer.gov/sheriff/services/information/frauds-scams