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He told everyone — in interviews, on stage, and in a TEDx Talk — that vertical farming would eliminate food deserts, create green-collar jobs, and change the future.
But federal prosecutors say Griffin was secretly siphoning money from his startup and wiring it to his estranged wife’s bank account, the FBI announced on Saturday, July 5.
The Scheme
Griffin, 56, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion, officials announced on Thursday, June 26, 2025.
In 2017, Griffin sold two companies on his patented vertical farming systems. He promised high profits, low costs, and revolutionary yields. But instead of delivering farms, he allegedly used their money to bankroll his personal expenses and cover internal operations.
He also failed to file a tax return. Instead, investigators say, he withdrew large sums of cash, paid personal bills directly from business accounts, and transferred funds to his wife, despite listing himself as “separated” on social media.
The Past
This isn’t the first time Griffin’s promises unraveled.
He previously served time in federal prison for embezzling $1.4 million from a tech company — money that went toward a Ferrari, designer clothes, and fine wine, court records show.
In 2018, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Griffin’s own investors had sued him, accusing him of stealing over $1 million and calling him a “career criminal.” They said he inflated crop projections, lied about having a degree from Penn, and left Metropolis Farms — once hailed as the future of food — locked and behind on rent.
Griffin also allegedly took $380,000 in state grant money to build a vertical farm for autistic students in New Jersey. That project never materialized.
The Fall
Griffin faces up to 20 years in prison for each wire fraud charge and five years for tax evasion. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 22.
The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated. DOJ Trial Attorney Catriona Coppler and Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis Weber are prosecuting the case.
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