Richard Robert Coles

(Courtesy Photo Dakota County Minnesota Jail)

A Minnesota man has been taken into custody as the result of a month long scam investigation conducted by Cherokee County Sheriff's Detectives.

On Tuesday, January 23, 2024, Cherokee County Sheriff's authorities coordinated with their Minnesota counterparts resulting in the arrest of Richard Robert Kohls, age 55, of Burnsville, Minnesota.

Kohls is being held in the Dakota County Minnesota Jail, pending extradition to Cherokee County.

Kohls' arrest came after Cherokee County Detectives identified him as the suspect involved in a phone scam, resulting in the theft of nearly $50,000.00 from a Cherokee County resident between October 2023 and December, 2023.

"This case serves as a good reminder of the phone scams targeting people, particularly seniors, across the country. With this particular case, the suspect is alleged to have posed as a representative of a
sweepstakes, telling the victim a prize had been won, but taxes had to first be paid prior to it being awarded. Anyone calling and saying someone won a prize, but first has to pay something, is likely trying to steal from them, regardless of how convincing they may sound," advised Sheriff David Groves.