Isaac Benjamin Voss Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud Scheme

Isaac Benjamin Voss, 41, of Clark County, Washington, has admitted to running a years-long wire fraud scheme that preyed on domestic and foreign investors hungry for clean energy profits — and a shot at American residency. Voss pleaded guilty today in federal court in Portland, Oregon, to one count of wire fraud, capping a deception that stretched across state lines and international borders.

According to court documents, Voss used his company, XFuels, to pitch a futuristic clean energy technology that could turn garbage, biomass, and plastic into fuel and power. Starting in 2011, he crisscrossed the U.S. and hosted international seminars, claiming XFuels owned a commercial refinery in Canada and was building another in Washington state. He dangled promises of ‘clean fuel, clean chemicals, [and] clean power’ — none of which ever materialized.

The truth? No refineries. No institutional backing. No third-party validation. Voss fabricated marketing materials, including brochures and a slick website, and falsely claimed over 90% of project funding was secured from outside lenders. The so-called independent feasibility study he cited was built entirely on his own unverified data and used no accepted scientific methods. The only money coming in? Investor cash — including minimum $500,000 contributions from foreigners seeking EB-5 visas.

Voss explicitly marketed the scam as a path to U.S. residency, telling foreign nationals their investments would qualify them for EB-5 immigrant visas. He lied, saying funds would be held in escrow until visas were approved. They weren’t. The project didn’t qualify, and every single visa application filed by investors was denied. Their money — often life savings — vanished into XFuels’ hollow shell.

‘Voss robbed victims of investment dollars by preying on their hopes of becoming legal permanent residents in the U.S.,’ said Billy J. Williams, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. ‘I implore both domestic and international investors to think twice before supporting schemes that promise immigration shortcuts.’

Voss now faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. Sentencing is set for August 14, 2018, before U.S. District Court Judge Anna J. Brown. The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, IRS, and Department of Homeland Security, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle H. Kerin and Gavin W. Bruce.