By Mason Edwards
Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn.
(TNS)
A federal judge granted a request from former Chattanooga accountant Jonathan Frost’s lawyer to reset his sentencing, which was formerly scheduled for Friday.
U.S. District Judge Travis McDonough rescheduled Frost’s next court appearance to 2 p.m. Aug. 21 in an order filed Tuesday. Frost’s defense attorney, Lee Davis, asked for a delay because of a scheduling conflict, Davis wrote in an unopposed motion filed July 31.
Davis said by text that the defense counsel appreciated the court’s accommodation, and that he didn’t have any additional comment at this time.
In May, a nearly $50 million civil judgment was entered against Frost, 42, and three companies tied to him. The 2023 lawsuit accused Frost and other defendants of running a clean energy investment scheme that used about 99% of investor funds to prop up other businesses and pay personal expenses.
Recommended Articles
The Chattanooga Times Free Press reached out to the spokesperson for Chattanooga’s federal prosecutors, and responses will be published online when received.
It’s unlikely that victims will receive restitution from Frost, as other civil judgments have not been successful in recouping losses, according to Chicago attorney Alex Loftus, who represents investors in the complaint.
Frost is free on a $10,000 bond after pleading guilty in court in February to three federal financial crimes. Frost’s federal plea agreement set maximums of up to 20 years in prison on each of the wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies and up to five years for the tax fraud conspiracy.
Frost also admitted guilt to the facts laid out in the plea agreement, which detailed how he and a coconspirator solicited funds to build a plant that would use solar power to extract hydrogen gas from water.
Frost and his coconspirators used wire communications to intentionally defraud investors regarding the proposed hydrogen plant, the plea agreement filing said. Investor funds were used to pay Frost’s employees at his accounting firm, paid cash loans with exorbitant interest fees and other expenses unrelated to the construction of the facility.
The agreement also accused Frost and coconspirators of defrauding the government in fraudulent tax returns at a cost to the United States of over $8 million. The plea agreement said that unless otherwise negotiated, Frost could owe the government no less than $70 million.
Photo caption: Jonathan Frost (via his YouTube page)
_______
© 2026 the Chattanooga Times/Free Press (Chattanooga, Tenn.). Visit www.timesfreepress.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC.
Sign in to get access to this free resource, and all of our whitepapers and reports.
Download this content today!
Register Now Already registered? Click here to Log In
