The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont and the FBI have successfully recovered $2,270,202.39 in funds stolen from the Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) through a sophisticated cyber-enabled fraud scheme. United States District Judge William K. Sessions III signed the forfeiture order on July 2, 2026, paving the way for the United States Marshals Service to return the money to CSWD.
The fraud began in late January 2026 when CSWD received a deceptive email that appeared to be from a construction company, redirecting payments for an ongoing project. Following these instructions, CSWD made two payments totaling over $3 million to an account at Citibank, which was later discovered to be part of the fraud. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, with FBI assistance, swiftly seized the funds from the bank using a civil seizure warrant.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt praised the FBI's prompt investigation and CSWD's quick notification. "Recoveries of stolen funds from sophisticated cyber actors are only possible when impacted entities quickly alert law enforcement about their losses," Ophardt said, highlighting that CSWD's actions enabled the seizure and return of over $2 million, benefiting all Chittenden County residents. FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli echoed this sentiment, urging the public to report such fraud immediately to law enforcement for similar successful outcomes.