Although Summerlin Energy Solar is now bankrupt, the drama surrounding the native Southern Nevada company continues.
Just this month, a high-level executive, Drew Dean Levy, who owned 30 percent of Summerlin Energy Solar, was indicted on theft-related charges after more than 100 homeowners in Las Vegas lost a total of over 1 million dollars.
Energy Inefficient
Levy’s responsibilities within the company included day-to-day operations as well as serving as director of sustainable construction and an executive vice president. The indictment reveals that Levy and a business partner, Henry Bankey, instructed their staff members to issue new contracts for solar panel installation—and to continue collecting fees from customers—even though executives knew the company was deep in debt and could not afford to complete the installations.
As if it wasn’t bad enough to leave customers with unfinished projects, customers were never refunded their money. Instead, the money that had been collected by Summerlin Energy Solar Company was spent on executive salaries and a variety of other superfluous expenses.
A Series of Missteps
In February of 2016, after a slew of upset customers led the Nevada State Contractors Board to suspend Summerlin Energy Solar’s licenses, the company was forced to file for bankruptcy in Las Vegas. As of this report, a warrant has been issued for Drew Dean Levy’s arrest.
In 2007, before Levy’s business partner, Bankey, served as Summerlin Energy’s president and CEO, he had faced criminal charges linked to a company in Utah. He was one of several people federally indicted on 34 counts including bank fraud and money laundering. Bankey will not face charges in the case regarding Summerlin Energy Solar because, sadly, he was killed in November of 2015 when his ex-wife shot him during an argument. Levy will need an experienced criminal defense attorney to help him mount a vigorous defense to the alleged crimes.