Austin man facing 15 felony charges related to fraud and swindling money from a Byron golf course

An Austin man in charge of handling the finances at a golf course in Byron is facing more than a dozen charges in Olmsted County District Court for allegedly swindling the course out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

63-year old Gordon Perkins is facing 15 felony charges related to fraud and swindling money dating back to 2012 at Somerby Golf Course.

The investigation conducted by the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office documented thefts from Somerby accounts beginning in 2012 and running through last year that totaled approximately $500,000 and included unauthorized credit card charges and tens of thousands of dollars worth of fraudulent claims for reimbursement from the business’ petty cash account.

Perkins told authorities he would reimburse Somerby for unauthorized charges and wrote a check for $75,000. That check was returned for non-sufficient funds.

Court documents went on to state that Perkins used the funds for lawn care services, rental properties, utility bills, a roof replacement, leasing storage units, HVAC and plumbing work, timeshares, air travel and medical bills at Mayo Clinic.  Social media posts also show Perkins taking various vacations out of the country.

Perkins’ employment with the course was terminated in October of 2019.  His first appearance in Olmsted County District Court concerning the charges has been scheduled for March.