A 33-year-old Wasilla woman faces federal charges alleging she lied to get about $122,000 in grants for her farming company.
Crystal Jean Boze, who also uses the last name Hazlitt, is the sole defendant named in a one-count indictment charging federal grant fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000, prosecutors said.
Boze presented three false claims for federal grant funds to two U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies between February and June 2013, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Anchorage.
Boze sought the grants for her Palmer company, Green Winter Farms, prosecutors said. She provided fraudulent purchase invoices from the company to get the grants, they said.
The company was awarded a $72,103 grant by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in 2012, and a $49,689 grant from the federal department's Rural Development division in 2013, prosecutors said. The grants were paid as reimbursements.
A newsletter from the state's Division of Agriculture describes Boze's business as a hydroponic basil growing operation. It says she sold her produce at farmers markets and grocery stores in Anchorage and the Mat-Su.
Boze could not be reached for comment. Online court records do not show an attorney representing her.
An initial court hearing has been set for March 24.