{"id":2105525,"date":"2023-11-22T05:23:02","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T10:23:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-gave-3-billion-loan-to-solar-company-accused-of-scamming-elderly\/"},"modified":"2023-11-22T05:28:19","modified_gmt":"2023-11-22T10:28:19","slug":"biden-admin-gave-3-billion-loan-to-solar-company-accused-of-scamming-elderly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-gave-3-billion-loan-to-solar-company-accused-of-scamming-elderly\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden Admin Gave $3 Billion Loan to Solar Company Accused of Scamming Elderly"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-admin-gave-3-billion-loan-to-solar-company-accused-of-scamming-elderly%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2105525&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Solar Company Accused of Scamming Dementia Patients into Costly Solar Panel Leases<\/h2>\n<p>A solar company that recently received a $3 billion\u2063 loan from \u200cthe Department\u2064 of Energy is facing serious allegations of scamming \u2062dementia patients on \u2064their deathbeds. According to interviews and state consumer complaint records\u200b obtained by the <em>Washington Free Beacon<\/em>, \u200bthe \u2062company, Sunnova, has been accused of persuading elderly individuals with\u2063 dementia to sign long-term, expensive solar panel \u200dleases.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;It was truly ripping off old people,&#8221; said Terry Blythe, a Texas resident whose 86-year-old father, diagnosed with dementia, was convinced by \u2062a Sunnova \u2062salesman to sign a\u2062 25-year lease. Blythe was left \u2063with \u200ba $34,000 contract\u200c after her father\u200d passed away.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Blythe&#8217;s \u200cstory is just one of over 50 consumer \u200bcomplaints filed against Sunnova with the Texas attorney general&#8217;s \u200doffice. These complaints range from maintenance delays to predatory sales tactics.<\/p>\n<h3>Exploiting Vulnerable Individuals<\/h3>\n<p>Mary Loller shared a \u200dsimilar experience involving her elderly father who was senile and given\u200c months to \u200blive. Despite his condition, a Sunnova salesman sold him a $60,000 solar system for \u200dhis mobile home. After her father&#8217;s passing, \u2064Loller discovered that Sunnova\u200b had placed a lien on the property, preventing the\u200c family from\u2064 selling it.<\/p>\n<p>Both Blythe and Loller reached out to Sunnova about these troubling sales practices but received no resolution.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;Sunnova used predatory\u200c lending tactics and fraud to execute a 25-year contract on an elderly woman that was dying, \u2064and would never\u200b live 25 years to pay off\u2062 a \u200bcontract of this magnitude,&#8221; read one complaint.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>These disturbing\u2063 stories raise questions about the Department of Energy&#8217;s vetting process for loan recipients. \u200cCritics argue that the consumer records should have raised \u2064alarms and prevented the loan\u200d to Sunnova.<\/p>\n<h3>Potential Conflicts of Interest<\/h3>\n<p>The DOE&#8217;s \u2063Loan \u200cPrograms Office, responsible for awarding the\u200c $3 billion loan to Sunnova, is currently under scrutiny from Congress for potential conflicts of interest. Before\u200c joining the Biden administration, LPO director Jigar Shah founded a trade association that shares a board member \u2064with Sunnova. \u2064This \u2062connection has raised concerns about favoritism and potential unethical\u2062 practices.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. John Barrasso and \u2064other lawmakers are \u200binvestigating these potential conflicts of interest, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the allegations and investigations, Sunnova maintains that it\u2064 does not discriminate based\u2062 on age and claims\u200c to assist all customers \u200bin resolving any issues that may\u200c arise.<\/p>\n<p>The Department \u200bof Energy has yet to respond to requests\u200c for comment \u200con \u2062the matter.<\/p>\n<p>As the investigation continues, experts in the energy industry draw parallels between Sunnova&#8217;s sales tactics and the subprime mortgage crisis of the 2000s. They argue that\u200d more stringent regulations and oversight are necessary to protect vulnerable individuals \u200bfrom predatory practices.<\/p>\n<p>With the spotlight on the DOE&#8217;s Loan Programs Office and its funding decisions,\u200d the future of Sunnova and its \u200balleged exploitation of dementia\u200c patients remains uncertain.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> Do Sunnova&#8217;s aggressive sales tactics and failure to provide clear and accurate information\u2064 to consumers\u2063 violate consumer protection laws?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Mily from selling the \u2062home.<\/p>\n<p>Sunnova&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-gave-3-billion-loan-to-solar-company-accused-of-scamming-elderly\/\" title=\"Biden Admin Gave  Billion Loan to Solar Company Accused of Scamming Elderly\">sales tactics include pressuring vulnerable individuals<\/a>, such as those with dementia or terminal illnesses, into \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chinese-ev-battery-maker-catl-expects-q3-profit-to-nearly-triple\/\" title=\"Chinese EV battery maker CATL expects Q3 profit to nearly triple\">signing long-term contracts<\/a> for solar panel leases. These individuals\u200b often lack \u2062the \u200cmental capacity to fully \u2064understand the terms\u2064 and implications of such agreements. By taking \u2063advantage of their cognitive impairments, Sunnova is able to secure high-cost contracts that may not be in the best interest of the consumer.<\/p>\n<h3>Questionable Ethics\u2064 and Legal Concerns<\/h3>\n<p>The\u200b allegations against Sunnova raise serious ethical concerns. Exploiting vulnerable individuals for financial gain is morally reprehensible and should not be\u200c tolerated.\u200b In addition to ethical concerns, there \u2063may also \u2062be \u2064legal implications\u2063 for Sunnova&#8217;s actions. Scamming individuals\u200d with dementia or other mental impairments could be considered financial elder abuse, which is a crime in many \u200cjurisdictions.<\/p>\n<p>It is also worth investigating whether Sunnova&#8217;s sales practices violate consumer protection laws. The company&#8217;s aggressive sales \u200btactics and \u2062failure to provide clear and accurate information to consumers may be in violation of laws that protect consumer\u2064 rights. These laws aim to\u2062 prevent unfair and deceptive practices and ensure that consumers are fully informed before entering into contracts.<\/p>\n<h3>Government Oversight and Accountability<\/h3>\n<p>The fact that Sunnova received a $3 \u2064billion loan from the Department of Energy raises concerns about the vetting process\u2062 for government funding. Companies \u2062that receive substantial government funding should be thoroughly scrutinized \u2062to ensure that they have ethical business \u2064practices and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hawley-gets-pushback-from-banking-groups-for-bill-to-cap-credit-card-rates-at-18\/\" title=\"Banking groups oppose Hawley's bill to limit credit card rates at 18%.\">prioritize consumer protection<\/a>. It is crucial that the Department of Energy takes these\u2064 allegations seriously and conducts\u200d a thorough investigation\u2062 into Sunnova&#8217;s activities.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, state consumer protection agencies must also step up their efforts to \u200bsafeguard \u200dvulnerable individuals from predatory practices. Increased\u200b regulation and oversight are necessary to prevent other companies from engaging \u2063in similar exploitative tactics. Additionally, stronger penalties should be imposed on companies found \u2062guilty of scamming vulnerable individuals.<\/p>\n<h3>Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p>The allegations against Sunnova are deeply troubling\u2063 and should not be taken lightly. \u2063Exploiting vulnerable individuals for personal gain is not only unethical but\u2063 also potentially illegal. It is incumbent \u2064upon regulatory authorities to thoroughly investigate \u200bthese allegations and hold \u200dSunnova accountable if wrongdoing is found. Protecting vulnerable individuals, \u200cespecially those with dementia, should be a top priority to ensure that\u2064 they are not \u2064taken advantage of by unscrupulous businesses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A solar company that was awarded a $3 billion Department of Energy loan has been accused of scamming dementia patients on their deathbeds into signing five-figure, multi-decade solar panel leases, according to interviews and state consumer complaint records obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. Terry Blythe, a Texas resident, told the Washington Free Beacon that<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":120,"featured_media":2105526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2105525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2105525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/120"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2105525"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2105525\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2105526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2105525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2105525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2105525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}