MIAMI — The owner of a Fort Pierce-based biofuel company was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in federal prison for his role in a scheme that generated more than $7 million in fraudulent Environmental Protection Agency renewable fuel credits and sought more than $6 million in fraudulent tax credits tied to the purported production of biodiesel.
According to court documents, Christopher Burdett owned a company that claimed to convert various feedstocks into biodiesel. Federal prosecutors said Burdett and the company’s general manager, Royce Gillham, significantly overstated the amount of biodiesel the company produced when reporting production figures to the IRS and EPA in order to generate additional credits.
Prosecutors said Burdett and Gillham also provided false information about the company’s fuel production and customers when auditors sought additional documentation…