Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Carbon credits · United States · 2020–2024

C-Quest Capital cookstove credit case: founder charged over inflated credit counts

Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Not on record
  • The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
What the record lacks: 3 none on record · 1 not measured See the gaps

Verra approved C-Quest Capital's cookstove method in September 2020 while founder Kenneth Newcombe sat on Verra's board, and US prosecutors charged him in October 2024 with falsifying data to inflate credit counts. At stake is whether the credits reflected real emission cuts.

What?
US prosecutors charged C-Quest Capital's founder in October 2024 with falsifying data to inflate credit counts, and Verra suspended 27 projects. REDD-Monitor
Where?
Prosecution in the United States; credit projects in Africa and Asia. REDD-Monitor
When?
Method approved in September 2020; charges in October 2024; postponement in December 2024. REDD-Monitor
Who?
Gained
  • C-Quest Capital — Verra approved its cookstove method in September 2020 REDD-Monitor
Lost
None on record
Harmed
None on record
Why?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
How?
Credits were issued under a method written by the developer, whose founder sat on the board of the registry that approved it. Prosecutors allege the credit counts were inflated. REDD-Monitor
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

Verra approved C-Quest's cookstove method in September 2020, while Newcombe sat on Verra's board from 2007 to 2023.

In October 2024 US prosecutors charged Newcombe with falsifying data to inflate credit counts. A former operations manager pleaded guilty, and Verra suspended 27 projects.

The case was postponed in December 2024.

    In court and with insurers

    Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

    Lawsuits and rulings

    No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.

    Insurers

    No insurer decision on record.

    What we don't know

    Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.

    Nature

    • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.

    Record

    • None on record Reported, source not identified: Newcombe denies the charges.
    • None on record The sources reviewed do not give the status of the case after December 2024.
    • None on record The sources reviewed do not say how many credits were issued or sold from the 27 suspended projects.

    Did the harm stop?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Who paid?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Sources

    Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts— Press and investigations✓ Communities and civil society— Researchers

    Communities and civil society

    Connected cases

    Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
    Terms used on this page

    Carbon and conservation finance

    Buffer pool
    A reserve of credits held back from sale by a carbon programme to cover future losses, such as forest burned or logged after credits were issued. It works as the programme's own insurance.
    Carbon credit
    A certificate representing one tonne of carbon dioxide (or equivalent) that a project says it reduced, avoided or removed. Buyers use credits to balance their own emissions in climate claims.
    REDD+
    Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation. A UN framework under which forest projects earn carbon credits for deforestation they say they prevented, measured against a projected baseline.
    Standard-setter and registry
    An organisation that writes the rules for carbon credits, approves projects, and records when credits are issued and retired. Such bodies typically charge fees per credit.

    Law and courts

    Plea
    In a criminal case, the defendant's formal answer to a charge. A plea agreement settles a case with a guilty plea on agreed terms.