TERP Consultant Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison

From an email from the TCEQ:

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality today announced the recent conviction of a Denton County man, as a result of a forgery investigation conducted by the TCEQ Environmental Crimes Unit.

On Nov. 24, 2009, Claude Dean (C. D.) Stang, owner of Texas Grant Writers, of Aubrey, Texas, was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in forging signatures on the condition and use forms on Texas Emissions Reduction Plan grant applications. Stang pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in organized criminal activity. The investigation found that Stang not only forged signatures but also had other employees forge signatures on the forms and generated fraudulent quotes on equipment that was to be replaced.

The email also said Stang charged $600 to file an application which is in no way illegal, but it caught my eye since folks paid that PER MACHINE whether the grant application was approved or not.

I really would not take this as a sign that the TCEQ is itching to prosecute people. This looks like a crackdown on somebody trying to cheat the system since both Stang and his employees forged documents and signatures.

Don't be nervous that if you transposed a couple of digits in a serial number or if you end up using a machine mostly in Tarrant County instead of Dallas County that police are going to kick your door in. (Note: they do request notice if your machines operating counties change)

In every instance I've seen when an applicant does everything he can to be up front and accurate the state works with them including adjusting when annual hours of use cannot be met because of the economic slowdown.

Still, this needs to be a message to everybody that they do monitor the system and that we should all make an honest effort to work within the rules.