Florida Biofuel Executive Pleads Guilty in Multi-Million Dollar Fraud Scheme
The owner of a Florida biofuel company has admitted to orchestrating an elaborate fraud scheme that generated millions in fake environmental credits and attempted to bilk the government out of millions more in tax benefits.
Christopher Burdett, 59, who ran a Fort Pierce-based biofuel operation, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to generating over $7 million in fraudulent Environmental Protection Agency renewable fuel credits and seeking more than $6 million in phony tax credits by wildly inflating his company’s biodiesel production, federal prosecutors announced.
Not Just Paperwork Errors
“This was not a paperwork error or a regulatory misunderstanding — it was fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, underscoring the severity of a case that strikes at the heart of government programs designed to encourage renewable energy development.
The scheme didn’t just impact government coffers. “The defendant’s fraud undermines the integrity of EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard and hurts farmers and refiners who follow the law,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
Burdett isn’t the only one facing consequences. The company’s general manager, Royce Gillham, was previously sentenced to 37 months in prison for providing false information about fuel production and customers during audits.
A Pattern of Deception
How extensive was the fraud? According to investigators, Burdett’s operation claimed credits for biodiesel that was never actually produced or sold. These credits, known as Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs), are valuable commodities in the energy sector, designed to incentivize the production of renewable fuels.
“The defendants compromised the core of a program designed to secure abundant renewable fuel,” explained Assistant Administrator Jeffrey A. Hall of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “By claiming credit for fuel they never produced or sold, the defendants not only defrauded American fuel producers and consumers but also compromised our energy security.”
Court records show this wasn’t Burdett’s first legal entanglement. His company, Genuine Bio Fuel Inc., was involved in a contract-business lawsuit against him in August 2018, filed in Palm Beach County’s 15th Judicial Circuit Courts.
Serious Consequences Ahead
Burdett now faces a maximum of five years in prison and a potential $250,000 fine after pleading guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud and file false claims. His sentencing is scheduled in the coming months.
The case was the result of a coordinated effort between multiple federal agencies. Investigators from the EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division worked alongside IRS Criminal Investigations to unravel the complex scheme.
“Fraudulent tax schemes erode trust in our tax system and harm every honest taxpayer,” noted Ron Loecker, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Florida Field Office, highlighting the broader implications of Burdett’s actions.
The prosecution was handled by Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of the Environment and Natural Resources Division, working in conjunction with Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Funk.
For the renewable energy sector, already navigating complex regulations and market pressures, cases like Burdett’s cast a long shadow — potentially making it harder for legitimate operators to gain trust and traction in an industry central to America’s energy future.
