Former Uprise owner Stephen A. Kromer has been indicted by a federal grand jury on 16 felony counts connected to the failed Lovelock broadband project, a once-promising effort to bring high-speed internet service to Lovelock and Pershing County.
Kromer, 48, is charged with theft of government property, federal program theft, money laundering, monetary transactions in criminally derived property and using a false document. Federal prosecutors allege Kromer embezzled more than $7.8 million from a federally funded high-speed internet construction project in Pershing County.
The indictment is the latest chapter in a project that once promised to transform internet access in Pershing County. Instead of the fiber network residents were told was coming, the project collapsed amid allegations of missing money, leaving behind investigations, lawsuits and unanswered questions.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Uprise applied in 2022 for funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect Program, proposing a $36 million project to provide high-speed internet to users living and working in Lovelock. In June 2023, USDA awarded Uprise a $27 million ReConnect grant. The project was also supported by a $9 million match from the Nevada Department of Transportation.
Federal prosecutors allege Uprise was required to deposit its $9 million share of project funding into a restricted pledged deposit account, with withdrawals limited to project costs approved by USDA. According to the indictment, Kromer allegedly withdrew approximately $7.8 million from that account through 32 wire transfers between May and November 2024, moving the funds into his personal bank account.
The indictment further alleges that Kromer caused false accounting entries to be made in Uprise’s records to make the withdrawals appear to be legitimate project expenses and then submitted false information to USDA. Prosecutors also allege he moved proceeds into cryptocurrency exchange accounts and converted more than $6.2 million from U.S. dollars into cryptocurrency.
"Through multiple fraudulent schemes, the defendant clearly exploited trust to line his pockets," FBI Las Vegas Special Agent in Charge Christopher S. Delzotto said in the federal announcement. "The grants were intended to enhance broadband infrastructure in rural communities in Nevada. Instead, the defendant brazenly misappropriated these funds for personal gain."
Long before the federal indictment was handed down, questions about the project had been mounting. What began as one of the largest infrastructure investments ever proposed for Pershing County had become the subject of state and federal investigations. In May 2025, U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah announced that her office had opened an investigation into allegations that funding tied to USDA and NDOT may have been misappropriated in connection with the project.
That same month, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford filed 31 felony theft charges against Kromer in state court, alleging millions of dollars intended for the project had been diverted.
"This matter is one that I take very seriously," Ford said at the time.
Pershing County officials also publicly addressed the failed project last year, stating that USDA had pulled funding for the project, citing "significant contract violations."
The federal announcement does not state how much, if any, of the $27 million USDA grant had been disbursed before USDA terminated its funding commitment. The federal allegations focus on approximately $7.8 million allegedly diverted from the project account, including more than $6.2 million prosecutors say was converted to cryptocurrency.
If convicted, Kromer faces a maximum statutory penalty of 50 years in prison on federal theft charges and more than 100 years in prison on the money laundering and false document charges.
For many residents, the case is about more than criminal charges and court filings. The broadband project was supposed to bring faster internet to homes, businesses, students and remote workers in a rural community that has long struggled with connectivity. For a time, it was held up as an example of how state and federal investment could help bridge the digital divide in rural Nevada.
Instead, the project stalled before delivering the promised network, leaving residents wondering what happened and whether any of the missing money will ever be recovered.
While locally owned Lovelock Highspeed has continued expanding fiber service using private investment, many residents remain frustrated that millions of dollars were committed to a publicly funded project that never delivered the broadband network they were promised.
"Today’s 16-count indictment against the defendant is serious and should send a clear message that the U.S. Attorney’s Office remains committed to ending corruption," Chattah said in the federal release.
Kromer’s initial appearance in federal court is scheduled for June 24 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elayna J. Youchah. The federal case is separate from the state criminal case filed by the Nevada Attorney General’s Office.
An indictment is an allegation. Kromer is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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