KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - The owner of solar energy installation company in St. Joseph has pleaded guilty to conspiracy in a $1.4 million fraud scheme.
Thirty-six-year-old Trevor Dryden pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Kansas City Tuesday to charges of conspiracy to fraudulently obtain state and federal solar rebates and making false statements related to state and federal solar rebate programs.
Prosecutors said Dryden, who owned a company named U.S. Solar, was involved in fraudulently obtaining rebates from Kansas City Power & Light by overstating the number of solar panels installed.
Prosecutors said the losses from the schemes totaled nearly $1.4 million.
A judge is set to determine how much restitution Dryden must pay at a sentencing hearing in June. Federal prosecutors will recommend a five-year prison sentence as part of the plea agreement.