Golf Pro Convicted in $1 Million Custom Homes Theft

A former golf pro and course operator was convicted on two charges linked to the construction of custom homes in Massachusetts, but he largely skated on other charges.

A federal jury convicted Kevin Kennedy, 45, of conspiracy to defraud the United States and making a false statement to a federally insured financial institution. The Western Massachusetts man is scheduled to be sentenced in March.

The 45-year-old ran Kennedy Golf Management, which operated Springfield’s two public golf courses. Kennedy conspired with two others to evade taxes he owed on money received from his company, according to court documents. Kennedy then used cash to pay for the construction of homes in East Longmeadow and Cape Cod.

To get a mortgage for the East Longmeadow home, Kennedy sent a home purchase contract to the bank that falsified the total purchase price, which was reduced by a $160,000 cash down payment he had made.

Prior to the trial, Kennedy also pleaded guilty to four counts of filing false individual income tax returns from 2011 to 2014.

Kennedy faces up to five years in prison on the conspiracy charge and up to 30 years on the false statement charge. Each count of tax fraud carries up to three years in prison.

It could’ve been much worse for Kennedy, though. He was acquitted by the federal jury on 18 charges, according to MassLive, including charges of theft, wire fraud and money laundering. Kennedy was accused of stealing nearly $1 million from Springfield by skimming proceeds from the two courses he ran for a decade, leading to a federal raid of the sites.

“Kevin has said all along that he didn’t steal any money from the city of Springfield, and obviously the jury believed him,” Kennedy’s defense lawyer said after the verdict came down. “It’s a tremendous weight lifted off his back.”

Kennedy, whose late father was an aide to the local representative in Congress and served as Springfield’s chief development officer, did not comment in the immediate wake of the jury’s decision. City officials are still considering pursuing civil damages in the case.