Global Courant
A California man is going to jail for running a program to convert cow manure to green energy that authorities say was a pile of manure
FILE – A row of Holstein dairy cows feeds through a fence on a dairy farm outside of Jerome, Idaho, on March 11, 2009. A California man is going to jail for running a cow-knock-to-green-energy plan that authorities say a load of manure. Ray Brewer of Porterville was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison on Tuesday, June 27, 2023 for a scam that netted investors nearly $9 million. (AP Photo/Charlie Litchfield, File)
The associated press
FRESNO, California — A California man is going to jail for running a program to convert cow dung to green energy, which authorities say was a pile of manure.
Ray Brewer, 66, of Porterville was sentenced Monday to six years and nine months in prison in a year-long scam that netted investors $8.75 million, according to a statement from the US law firm.
Brewer ran a plan from 2014 through 2019 in which he claimed to build anaerobic digesters at dairies in California’s Fresno, Kern, Kings and Tulare counties and in Idaho, prosecutors said.
Anaerobic digesters “use microorganisms to break down biodegradable material and convert it into methane,” which can be sold and also gives producers renewable energy credits for producing green energy, the statement said.
Brewer told investors he would convert cow dung into methane while receiving 66% of the net profit and tax breaks, federal prosecutors said.
Brewer took investors on tours of dairies where he reportedly planned to build the digesters and claimed to have raised millions of dollars for the work. He sent them forged leases with dairy owners, forged loan agreements with banks, bogus contracts with multinationals and fake photos of the machines under construction, prosecutors said.
The investors’ money went into various bank accounts and Brewer spent it on himself, buying up land, a custom home and new Dodge Ram pickups, authorities said.
He also kept his investors informed about the nonexistent construction with false schedules, invoices, power generation reports and photos, authorities said.
Brewer also repaid money to some investors, with money obtained from other investors.
When investors found out they had been scammed, some won lawsuits against him. But Brewer moved to Sheridan, Montana, and assumed a new identity before finally being arrested, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
