Ray Brewer pleaded guilty to fraud charges after stealing $8,750,000 from investors by claiming that he had built anaerobic digesters on dairy farms in California and Idaho. Anaerobic digesters convert biodegradable material into methane, which can be sold as green energy. The methane also generates Renewable Energy Credits (REC), which can be sold to companies to help them reach their sustainability goals. Brewer intentionally misled investors, who were promised 66% of the net profits, with forged documents, including leases, loans, and other contracts.
According to U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert, “After Brewer received the investors’ money, he transferred the funds to multiple other bank accounts that he opened in the names of different entities, his family members, and an alias. He used false descriptions for the transfers. He did so to conceal the location, source, ownership, and control of the money before using it for personal expenditures. These expenditures included two plots of land that were 10 or more acres each, a 3,700 square foot custom home, and new Dodge Ram pickup trucks.”
