Former Bend Business Owner Sentenced for Defrauding Customers of $880,000

Michael Mulder, the former owner of WeCan Brewing Systems in Bend, Oregon, has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison after defrauding nearly two dozen customers out of over $880,000. Between January 2017 and June 2018, Mulder solicited payments for custom-built brewing equipment he never delivered, fabricating progress updates and fake invoices. The funds were misused for personal expenses, including loan repayments. Mulder, who pleaded guilty in April 2024, was also ordered to pay $887,116 in restitution to the victims. The FBI and Bend Police Department investigated the case.