Petters and his associates were charged for their roles in a high-volume retail operation that used investor funds to buy and sell consumer electronic products to big-box retailers. However, no inventory existed and money from new investors was used to pay off the old investors. The scheme ran for more than a decade. Baer is the target of a civil lawsuit in the Petters corporate bankruptcy seeking the repayment of more than $3.2 million in bonuses. Baer joined Petters in 2003 after four years at the Minneapolis law firm Leonard Street and Deinard. Minnesota Lawyer magazine named him one of the top 15 lawyers in the state in 2006. Baer, who was not implicated in Petters' fraud, left the company after Petters was charged.