Man Sentenced in Larimer County For Guilty Plea of Theft and Fraud

By Blaine Howerton | North Forty News

North Forty News profiled Never Summer Noridic in a November 2019 feature article – https://northfortynews.com/category/life-in-noco/yurt-so-good/.

According to the 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, the owner later closed the business and kept at least $24,000 in booking fees from people in multiple counties in Colorado and throughout the country.

The 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office secured Deal’s guilty plea on January 19th, 2024.  

Bron Austin Deal was sentenced recently to 60 days in the Larimer County Jail, four 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.

As of March 6, 2024, Deal’s LinkedIn Profile still shows him as CEO of Never Summer Nordic. However, the website neversummernordic.com has been shut down.

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 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. “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, the DA’s office could still 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