Stewartville Man Accused in Elon Musk Investment Scam

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - An elderly Olmsted County resident has been charged with theft by swindle for allegedly convincing a woman in another state to send him thousands of dollars by claiming he would be investing the funds at the direction of trillionaire Elon Musk.

Investigators Cite Dozens of Prior Complaints

A criminal complaint filed this week in Olmsted County Court describes a fraud investigation by the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office that was launched in late February after local authorities were made aware of a Minnesota Adult Abuse Reporting Center report concerning 82-year-old William Lester Bardwell. The court document states that investigators were familiar with the Stewartville man "and his involvement in money-laundering scams, as law enforcement has received at least 25 calls related to Bardwell for similar behavior."

According to the charges, an Olmsted County Sheriff's investigator went to Bardwell's bank to obtain his records and was informed by the manager that Bardwell had been warned that his account would be closed for fraud if he continued to bring in checks from people he did not know. The court document also states that other banks in the area had previously closed Bardwell's accounts for the same behavior.

Bardwell Allegedly Claimed Elon Musk Was His Boss

While he was being interviewed by law enforcement in March, the criminal complaint says Bardwell initially denied cashing any checks, but then admitted to recently cashing checks from a woman that were related to an "investment" involving Tesla, the electric vehicle company owned by Musk. The court document alleges that Bardwell claimed Musk was his boss and instructed him to deposit the checks and forward the funds as part of the investment process. It also says Bardwell insisted the investment was legitimate and that anyone claiming to be a victim was simply not following proper procedures.

Witness Describes Alleged Recruitment Efforts

The victim identified in the criminal complaint is a woman living in Massachusetts who told investigators she was contacted by a person using the Telegram app and communicated with that individual for about a year before she was convinced to send money to Bardwell. She indicated she sent a check for $3,000 in December 2025 and a check for $7,000 in January of this year. The victim also alleged that she sent $10,000 in cash to a person in California at "Elon Musk's" direction.

Bardwell criminal complaint-Olmsted County court

Coffee Shop Employee is Witness in Case

The criminal complaint also lists a witness who is employed by a coffee shop frequented by Bardwell in Stewartville. The witness told investigators that Bardwell would actively engage in speakerphone conversations while at the coffee shop, and she heard him identify himself as a "Tesla account executive" as he encouraged others to invest money. The witness told investigators that the activity had been going on for about two years.

Bardwell has been ordered to appear in court on the felony charge in October.

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