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MADISON, Wis. — The founders of a defunct Waukesha-based solar panel installation company face felony theft charges after allegedly taking thousands of dollars for work they never completed.
Trevor Sumner — the president of Sun Badger Solar, LLC — and his co-founder Kristoper Sipe are each charged with two felony counts of theft by contractor. According to a criminal complaint filed in Dane County, a Fitchburg company signed a contract with Sun Badger in 2022 worth over $98,000 to install solar panels on their roof.
The company paid Sun Badger half of the contract up front, but Sun Badger allegedly never installed the panels. In 2023, when Sun Badger shut down and went to court for its debts, it was found that Sun Badger could not repay the money it owed people.
A Fitchburg couple also entered into an agreement with Sun Badger to install panels on the roof of their home in 2022. According to the complaint, the couple paid $11,417 up front for panels. The couple got through the design stage for the project, but in January 2023 the company allegedly sent a letter saying the work was being delayed because of problems in the company.
The couple tried repeatedly to get their up-front payment back, going so far as to dispute the payment with their bank. That dispute was successful, and the couple were allegedly told that there were about 80 other Dane County residents who had similar issues with Sun Badger.
Fitchburg police subpoenaed Sun Badger’s bank records, allegedly finding that Sipe made monthly transfers of $15,000 from his company’s checking account into his own to pay off credit cards.
Sipe allegedly routed about $17,500 per month from Sun Badger’s checking account to his own persoal checking account to pay for things like liquor, massages and luxury hotel stays.
Sipe and Sumner agreed to a settlement with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office in 2024 to avoid prosecution for allegedly failing to install promised solar panels and forcing customers to renegotiate interest rates on solar loans. As part of the settlement, Sipe and Sumner were barred from doing business in Minnesota.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said Sipe and Sumner previously worked at Able Energy, which allegedly stole $1 million by charging for unfinished work.
Sipe and Sumner were both issued signature bonds earlier this year. A preliminary hearing in the case is set for July 9.
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MADISON, Wis. — As the weather warms up, solar salespeople are once again fanning out across Wisconsin neighborhoods, and consumer advocates s…
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