Probation For Acton Woman In $50M Scheme Against Treasury

ACTON, MA — An Acton woman was sentenced in connection with defrauding the U.S. Treasury Department of more than $50 million in tax-free energy grants as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The woman, identified as Jessica Metivier, 45, of Acton, was sentenced to one year of probation. In August 2017 Metivier and her partner, Christopher N. Condron, 49, were charged. She pleaded guilty in September to attempts to interfere with administration of internal revenue laws. Condron pleaded not guilty.

Condron, using Metivier’s name, submitted fraudulent applications to the Treasury Department for energy grants as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, according to the Department of Justice. The Recovery Act provided tax-free grants to individuals and businesses who put certain “specified energy property”—such as wind farms and gasification systems that convert trash into electricity—into service in a trade or business.

From May 2009 to June 2013, Condron used Metivier’s name to submit fraudulent grant applications to the Treasury Department on behalf of four different Massachusetts companies:

• Acton Bio Energy
• Concord Nurseries
• Kansas Green Energy
• Ocean Wave Energy

According to the indictment, "For each of the applications, Condron falsely claimed that Metivier and her entities had acquired, placed into service, or started construction of energy property, which included three different bio-fuel gasification systems, purportedly built at a cost of approximately $88 million, and an $84 million wind farm project."

Condron tried to get more than $50 million back based on the false costs cited in the applications. He ended up obtaining grants totaling more than $8 million, according to the DOJ.

Metivier tried to cover up Condron's work and provided false information to agents investigating the grant applications, according to the DOJ.