LAWRENCE — The developer of a seven-story hotel adjacent to the University of Kansas has pleaded guilty in a scheme to collect fraudulent tax refunds from the city of Lawrence.
The U.S. attorney’s office says 54-year-old Thomas Fritzel pleaded guilty Thursday to one county of criminal conspiracy.
At issue is a Tax Increment Financing district that the city established to reimburse Fritzel for development costs for the Oread Hotel.
The indictment alleges that Fritzel and others defrauded the city by seeking reimbursements for hundreds of transactions that were not generated within the redevelopment district.
