Paul Ceglia
American
Biography[edit]
Ceglia was born in Wellsville, New York to an Italian-American father, Carmine Ceglia, and an Irish mother.[4] He moved around after high school, spending two years teaching at an alternative school in Taos, New Mexico and opened an ice cream stand in New York. Ceglia claims he bought and sold real estate, built and renovated homes in Wellsville and the Bahamas, helped start an eco-friendly cemetery in Ithaca, New York, and was a founding member of the local Green Party.[4] Ceglia and his wife have also supported a school called Calix Academy in Kibera, a slum of Nairobi. They built a bakery to help the school make an income, as well as functional toilets and classrooms and, financially supported the education of orphans there. He told Businessweek: "I like to think about myself as someone that is driven by trying to contribute in some way to increasing the consciousness on the planet", which he also states on his Facebook page.[4]
Ceglia has three sons and one daughter, with his wife, Iasia.[5] His third son was born in Ecuador while he was a fugitive.
Prior Criminal Record[edit]
Allegany Pellets LLC[edit]
Ceglia and his wife Iasia (née McCarthy) were owners of Allegany Pellets LLC and were charged with one count of first-degree scheme to defraud and 12 counts of fourth-degree grand larceny in November 2009.[22] In December 2009, the then-Attorney General of New York (later Governor) Andrew Cuomo announced a temporary restraining order banning Ceglia from taking advance payments from consumers, destroying any business records or property, or transferring any assets. Cuomo stated in a press release that the company, had "lied to customers and solicited new orders" even when it could not "deliver products as promised". The charges were eventually dropped as every customer was either refunded or received wood pellets.[23][24]