Former owner of Northeastern Energy Corporation pleads guilty to defrauding State of Michigan by underreporting oil sales by nearly $34,000.





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*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:*
January 8, 2025




*Media Contact:*
Danny Wimmer <[email protected]>






Former Oil and Gas Company Owner Pleads Guilty to Defrauding State of Michigan

*LANSING *– Frank Andrew Stevens, 62, of Colorado, recently pled guilty to one count of Oil and Gas False Statement, an 18-month misdemeanor, for defrauding the State of Michigan, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. As part of the plea agreement, Stevens, the former owner of Northeastern Energy Corporation, agreed to pay $15,000 in restitution to the State of Michigan before an 11-month delayed sentence. If the restitution is paid in full and Stevens has no new contacts with the criminal justice system, the People have agreed that Stevens will be sentenced on one count of False Weights and Measures, a 90-day misdemeanor.  

Northeastern Energy Corporation, an oil and gas company based out of Bow Mar, Colorado, was investigated after Stevens submitted a false document to the Department of Attorney General in December 2016. The document claimed that Northeastern Energy only sold 1,312 barrels of oil totaling $43,951.88. However, a review of the gatherer’s report revealed that Northeastern Energy sold 2,344 barrels of oil totaling $77,852, defrauding the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) by underreporting sales by nearly $34,000. Stevens was offered the plea agreement after recently completing a 15-month federal prison sentence on tax evasion charges related to operation of the oil and gas company in Michigan. 

“Accurate reporting and honest compliance are paramount to supporting EGLE’s efforts in protecting our state’s environment and natural resources,” Nessel said. “My Department will continue to hold accountable those who try to defraud the people of Michigan.” 

The criminal investigation was handled by detectives from EGLE and the Department of Natural Resources’ Environmental Investigation Section. The Department charged Stevens in November 2022 with one count of Uttering and Publishing a Public Record, one count of Forgery, and one count of Oil and Gas False Statement.  

The plea hearing was held on January 3 before Judge Kristen Simmons in the 54A District Court in Lansing. Stevens is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Simmons on December 18, 2025, at 9 a.m.  

 

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