News and Investigations

A Pennsylvania man who has an extensive criminal history related to fraudulent business practices in Florida, Maryland, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania, has been arrested. 

55-year old Patrick Gorman, whose last known address was in Ruffs Dale, Pennsylvania, was arrested in Brevard County Sunday, February 4, 2024, on a Polk County warrant. 

Gorman will be brought back to Polk County to face charges of: Burglary of an Occupied Dwelling (F2), Exploitation of the Elderly (F3), and Grand Theft (F3).

Gorman’s charges are a result of a PCSO investigation that began on January 18, 2024, after a relative of the elderly victim in Auburndale noticed three personal checks had been written out to Gorman for a total of $24,550. On one of the checks, “Roof repair” was written on it.

The relative spoke with the victim and he told her that Pat Gorman came to his house on January 4th and entered the home uninvited and showed him photos of an alleged hole in the roof that Gorman claimed to have repaired for the victim, and the victim owed $8,750 for the work. No roof repair was found to have been done, other than some white coating spread on a small part of the roof (the roof was only 3 years old, and a roofing expert told deputies nothing was wrong with the roof.) The elderly victim paid Gorman because he said “he didn’t know what else to do.”

All three of the checks contained Gorman’s Pennsylvania driver’s license number.

“The victim’s family has done a great job caring for him and had taken precautions to keep him safe. Unfortunately, bad guys can always find a way to do bad things. Our hope is that this bad guy gets locked-up for a lengthy time, so he’s unable to take advantage of anyone else.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff

Due to Gorman’s prior criminal history, PCSO detectives believe it is possible that there are other victims in Polk County, and are asking anyone who may have been victimized by Patrick Gorman to contact Detective Wright at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Vice Unit at 863-292-3300.