Fraudster Behind Newport Real Estate Scheme Sentenced

NEWPORT, RI — The former construction manager for a Newport-based real estate development company admitted to a two-year-long scam that defrauded his employers, banks and construction companies out of more than $200,000. Gregory Meeker, 57, was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison.

The admission came on the eve of Meeker's trial. Meeker, a Barrington resident, admitted to starting the fraud just two months after he was hired by Landings Real Estate Group, where he oversaw real estate development of the Newport Beach Club, Long Meadow Landings and other similar projects. He began submitting invoices to his employer for false or inflated amounts, using the name of subcontractors. The company then made checks payable to these subcontractors, which Meeker intercepted and fraudulently signed, depositing them in his personal bank account. The scam went on for more than two years before Meeker was caught.

According to the Rhode Island U.S. Attorney's office, the stolen money was used to fund a lavish lifestyle that included buying a boat, paying for yacht club fees, scuba diving expenses and trips to Florida, Jamaica, Mexico and the Grand Canyon.

In his admission, Meeker said that some checks were made out to individual subcontractors, including some he knew personally, instead of company names. He also admitted to giving his employer fake paperwork for GMC Construction, a company he previously ran. This included a fake name and address as well as the social security number of an unrelated person, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. In total, Landings Real Estate Group issued more than $12,000 in checks to GMC, all of which were signed and deposited by Meeker.

In another instance, Meeker faked the endorsement on three checks to the Town of Portsmouth's inspection department, depositing them into an account he controlled.

On Jan. 23, 2020, Meeker pleaded guilty to 12 counts of bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft. On Wednesday, he was sentenced to serve 42 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, as well as to pay $1,400 in "special assessments." A restitution order is expected from the court at a later date.