Federal jury finds Colorado businessman guilty of biofuel tax credit fraud

In Colorado, a federal jury in Denver, Colorado, found Martin Fields guilty of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit money laundering, making false claims against the United States, and money laundering, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.

According to the evidence presented at trial, Fields, along with Matthew Taylor, Calvin Glover, and others, filed false claims for tax credits under a federal program that encourages the production and use of renewable fuels. To accomplish the scheme, Fields and his coconspirators created a fake company, Shintan Inc., that purported to be in the business of creating renewable biodiesel fuel. From 2010 to 2013, Fields and his coconspirators filed documents with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) claiming more than $7.2 million in tax credits for production of renewable fuel. In fact, however, Shintan produced no qualifying renewable fuel, and the documents filed with the IRS were false. To avoid detection, Fields and his coconspirators laundered the fraudulently obtained funds through bank accounts belonging to Shintan and other shell companies. As a result of the scheme, Fields personally received at least $1.8 million.