Financial Fraud: Owners Of Keystone Biofuels, Inc., Indicted To Have Participated in a Scheme To Fraudulently Claim RIN Credits

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Owners Of Biofuel Company Indicted On Conspiracy And False Statement Charges

<h2>Owners Of Biofuel Company Indicted On Conspiracy And False Statement Charges<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>WASHINGTON – A Pennsylvania biofuel producer and two of its officers were indicted on May 3&comma; 2017&comma; on conspiracy and false statements charges for participating in a scheme that generated over &dollar;10 million in U&period;S&period; Environmental Protection Agency &lpar;EPA&rpar; renewable fuels credits &lpar;RIN credits&rpar; at Keystone Biofuels&comma; Inc&period;&comma; a company that purported to produce and sell biodiesel for use as transportation fuel&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Ben Wootton&comma; age 52&comma; of Enola&comma; PA&comma; Race Miner&comma; age 48&comma; of Buena Vista&comma; Co&period;&comma; and Keystone Biofuels&comma; Inc&period; were indicted by a grand jury in Harrisburg&comma; announced Bruce D&period; Brandler&comma; U&period;S&period; Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania&comma; Jeffrey H&period; Wood&comma; Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division&comma; Jennifer Lynn&comma; Acting Special Agent in Charge for the Philadelphia Office of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division&comma; and Steven L&period; McQueen&comma; Acting Assistant Special Agent In Charge of the Philadelphia Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>According to the indictment&comma; Wootton and Miner were co-owners of Keystone Biofuels&comma; Inc&period; located in Shiremanstown&comma; PA and later in Camp Hill&comma; PA&period; Wootton&comma; serving as President of Keystone Biofuels and Miner&comma; serving as Chief Executive Officer&comma; are alleged to have participated in a scheme with other coconspirators to fraudulently claim RIN credits on non-qualifying renewable fuel&period; Although the credits required that the fuel pass standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials &lpar;ASTM&rpar;&comma; the fuel produced by Keystone did not meet this standard&comma; the grand jury alleges&comma; and was placed into commerce despite being &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;off-spec&period;” The conspirators also allegedly generated fraudulent documentation and manipulated samples to be sent to laboratories for testing as part of their scheme&period; Keystone&comma; Wootton and Miner also allegedly made false entries into an EPA tracking system in violation of the Clean Air Act&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The investigation was conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation&period; Department of Justice Environmental Crimes Section&comma; Senior Litigation Counsel Howard P&period; Stewart&comma; Trial Attorney Adam Cullman&comma; and Assistant U&period;S&period; Attorney Geoffrey W&period; MacArthur of the Middle District of Pennsylvania are prosecuting this case&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Indictments are only allegations&period; All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statues and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines&period; The crime of conspiracy is punishable by up to five years in prison&period; The crime of False Statements is punishable by up to five years in prison&period; A fine of up to &dollar;250&comma;000 for an individual and &dollar;500&comma;000 for a corporation may also be imposed&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines&comma; the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors&comma; including the nature&comma; circumstances and seriousness of the offense&comma; among other factors&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;justice&period;gov&sol;opa&sol;pr&sol;owners-biofuel-company-indicted-conspiracy-and-false-statement-charges">Original PressReleases&&num;8230&semi;<&sol;a><&sol;p>&NewLine;

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