NEW: Kickback-Taking Energy Auditor Sentenced To 2 Years Probation

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Thursday, November 29, 2012

GoLocalProv News Team

Saul Lemoi, 38, of West Warwick, a former senior energy auditor with the Comprehensive Community Action Program (CCAP) in Cranston, R.I., was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. to two years of probation, the first year to be served in home confinement, and 400 hours of community service for accepting kickbacks of federal weatherization funds earmarked to make the homes of eligible low-income families more energy efficient and for lying to a federal agent, announced United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha.

Lemoi pleaded guilty on June 6, 2012, to one count of bribery and one count of making a false statement.

At the time of his guilty plea, Lemoi admitted to the court that from June 2006 through October 2007, in his capacity as senior auditor with CCAP, he sought and received authorization from an agency director to assign 41 federally funded weatherization projects totaling $75,002.45 to Weathertight Solution, LLC. Lemoi failed to disclose to the director that he held an interest in Weathertight Solutions and that he stood to benefit financially from funds paid to the company. More than $32,000 of the federally funded payments paid to Weathertight Solutions by CCAP was provided to Lemoi.

Lemoi admitted to the court that in many instances, he knowingly prepared invoices that did not accurately reflect the work that Weathertight Solutions had done on clients’ homes. Many of the invoices submitted billed for work that was not performed. On 33 occasions Lemoi conducted the post-work inspections on homes that Weathertight Solutions had worked on, verifying that Weathertight Solutions had completed the weatherization work in accordance with the invoices submitted. In many instances, the defendant’s representations were false and the work had not been completed. Several of the clients’ homes were never visited in order to determine if the work had been completed, although Lemoi indicated he had inspected the homes on the post-work inspection forms.

Lemoi also admitted to making false statements to federal investigators during a meeting on March 15, 2012, in the Office of the United States Attorney. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dulce Donovan.

The matter was investigated by agents from the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General.

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