Michael J. Ruffatto Pleads Guilty to Filing False Claim, Colorado, …

PITTSBURGH – The President and owner of North American Power Group Ltd. (NAPG), Michael J. Ruffatto, 70, of Englewood, Colorado, has pleaded guilty to a charge of filing a False Claim against the United States in federal court, according to U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton.

Ruffatto, who is also an attorney and Stanford University graduate, pleaded guilty before United States Chief District Court Judge Joy Flowers Conti for his fraudulent actions related to a multi-million dollar cooperative agreement awarded to NAPG by the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh.

The agreement was intended to study the carbon sequestration potential of an 880-acre site in Campbell County, Wyoming. Instead of conducting required field studies and drilling wells, Ruffatto transferred millions of award monies into his personal bank account, funding a lavish lifestyle.

U.S. Attorney Hickton emphasized the importance of protecting federal taxpayer funds dedicated to energy-related development projects, stating that Recovery Act funds were meant to create jobs, not enrich individuals. Chief Judge Conti has scheduled sentencing for February 3, 2017, with a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Ruffatto was released on bond pending sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Mary McKeen Houghton is prosecuting the case, while the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General, conducted the investigation that led to Ruffatto’s conviction.

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