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EV Worldwide Exec Sentenced to Federal Prison
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Armitage, 56, was at the center of the EV scheme that received more than $1 million in federal and local grants to develop first an electric bus and then a nickel-hydrogen battery in Pittsfield several years ago. The promises of a 1,000 jobs or more evaporated as state and federal investigators exposed the company's questionable finances.
U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor sentenced Armitage, appearing in federal court in Springfield, to 66 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.
According to a press release from the U.S. Justice Department, he was ordered to forfeit $24,010, and pay restitution of $1.5 million to the IRS; $191,819 to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue; $4.2 million to the Federal Transit Administration; and $215,138 to the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority.
He pleaded guilty in October 2010 to three counts of false statements to a federally insured financial institution; three counts of tax evasion; one count of false statements to a federal official; one count of conspiracy, one count of false claims; and one count of endeavoring to obstruct a federal audit.
In the EV WorldWide case, Armitage and co-defendants were convicted of defrauding the Federal Transit Administration and Pioneer Valley Transit Authority. The charge are also connected to Armitage's failure to file a personal income tax for 13 years despite raking in millions through Power Development Co., an energy company he founded, and defrauding United Bank of West Springfield.
EV executive Christopher Willson was convicted in June and faces sentencing on Nov. 29.
