A Florida man has been sentenced to 37 months in prison for his involvement in a biofuel fraud conspiracy. Royce Gillham, the General Manager of a Fort Pierce-based company, was found guilty of participating in a scheme that resulted in over $7 million in fraudulent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) renewable fuels credits and attempted to claim more than $6 million in fraudulent tax credits related to biodiesel production.
Gillham's company falsely reported its biodiesel production volumes to the IRS and EPA, inflating figures to obtain additional credits. When auditors requested further information, Gillham and his associates provided misleading details about their fuel output and clientele.
The sentencing follows Gillham's guilty plea on charges of conspiring to commit wire fraud and filing false claims. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson from the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD).
The case was investigated by the EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and IRS Criminal Investigations. Prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Funk for the Southern District of Florida and Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman from ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section.
Further details can be accessed through the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida website or via court documents under case number 24-cr-14046 on the District Court for the Southern District of Florida's website.