Former Orsted US employee jailed for stealing $159,000 from developer

IT specialist working in Rhode Island office pleaded guilty in February to making illicit purchases of liquor, movie tickets, and child support payments

. Orsted flag at Gentofte location.
. Orsted flag at Gentofte location.Photo: Orsted

The US district attorney for the district of Rhode Island sentenced an IT specialist working for offshore wind developer Orsted to federal prison for defrauding his company of nearly $159,000.

Alfred Appiah, 35, of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, was sentenced by senior US judge William Young to seven months behind bars followed by three months of home confinement and one year of federal supervised release for three counts of wire fraud, along with paying restitution to Orsted.

Appiah pleaded guilty on 21 February to three counts of wire fraud, admitting that during a six month span beginning in June 2021, he made more than 600 unauthorised purchases using a company credit card.

The Providence Journal reported in February that Appiah began working for Orsted as an IT specialist in 2019 and was issued a MasterCard through Barclays Bank for travel expenses.

He was fired in December 2021 when the expenses came to light and had faced up to 21 months in federal prison.

The district attorney’s office said Appiah's fraudulent purchases included airline travel and lodging, clothing, grocery and liquor stores, tickets to amusement parks, movie theatres, and live events, as well as real estate management fees and, insurance and child support payments.

Orsted recently began construction of its 920MW Sunrise project to New York along with installation of its 704MW Revolution Wind split between Connecticut and Rhode Island. Its 132MW South Fork array also to New York is already operational, along with 30MW Block Island Wind facing coastal Rhode Island, the nation’s first at-sea wind farm.

Orsted also operates solar and onshore wind farms around the nation.

Orsted declined to comment.

(Copyright)
Published 26 July 2024, 15:49Updated 29 July 2024, 08:35
AmericasUSOrstedRevolution Wind South Fork Wind