September 30, 2026
Jeff Douglass/PhillyVoice
Kevin Wardell, of Idaho, is being sued by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office for allegedly selling fraudulent permits and training courses to Pennsylvania businesses to contain the spread of spotted lanternflies.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office is suing an Idaho man who allegedly conned businesses into buying permits and training courses to curb the spread of the invasive spotted lanternfly.
The majority of Pennsylvania is under a quarantine order for the sap-sucking, colorful pests that threaten crops ranging from grapevines and timber to tree fruits and hops. The order requires some businesses to obtain a permit from the Department of Agriculture to prevent infestations from spreading to other areas, and getting a license involves completing a free course and passing a test certified by the state.
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The lawsuit claims Kevin Wardell and his Idaho-based company, Diverse Solutions, LLC, solicited and sold businesses fraudulent permits under the guise of the made-up "Spotted Lanternfly Commission." Wardell allegedly mailed letters with deceptive logos and language meant to trick businesses into believing the materials were sent by the state Department of Agriculture.
The letters promoted fraudulent courses for spotted lanternfly containment, which typically involves targeting the insects at various stages of their life cycle. From fall to spring, lanternfly egg masses need to be scraped from the surfaces they target for breeding, including tree bark and rocks. Various trapping methods are used during the spring and summer months when spotted lanternflies reach maturity, hopping between food sources and hitchhiking to expand their territories.
"They aren't the only pests that are harming Pennsylvanians," Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a statement. "Scammers peddling fraudulent trainings and fake permits do not help anyone keep their crops safe from this destructive species. Legitimate training and permits are available for free through the Department of Agriculture and Penn State Extension."
Prosecutors said the letters Wardell sent threatened businesses with civil and criminal penalties if they failed to immediately comply with the state's order. The letters promoted permits and training from Wardell's company, prompting numerous businesses to respond and pay for these services under the assumption that they came from the state, investigators said.
The attorney general's office did not say how much money Wardell obtained through the alleged scam.
The lawsuit, filed in the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas, seeks to prevent Wardell and his business from operating in Pennsylvania. It also seeks to compel Wardell to pay restitution to businesses that purchased fraudulent training courses and permits, in addition to pursuing civil penalties.
Spotted lanternflies were first detected in the United States in Berks County in 2014. Their infestation of the Philadelphia region and South Jersey peaked in 2020, but researchers have warned their presence could become cyclical and intensify in certain areas as the species migrates back to untapped food sources.
More than 20 states now have reported spotted lanternfly populations, raising fears about how the species could decimate vineyards in California in the years to come. Idaho is not one of the states where the species has been detected. The most promising long-term strategy to thwart spotted lanternflies involves ongoing research into the use of another non-native insect species that would act as a natural predator for them without causing major disruptions to the ecosystem.
For now, the state Department of Agriculture encourages businesses and residents to follow year-round guidelines for preventing the spread of spotted lanternflies.
