Metropolis Farms founder pleads guilty to fraud, years after TEDx vertical farming vision
Instead of fulfilling the contracts, Griffin used much of the funds for personal expenses and to support the company’s research and development activities.
Vertical Farm Daily
3 Jul 2025
Excerpts:
John (Jack) Griffin, founder of Philadelphia-based Second Story Farming Inc., which operated under the name Metropolis Farms, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion. The charges follow nearly a decade after Griffin publicly promoted his company as a model for transforming food production through accessible, scalable vertical farming technology.
In a 2016 TEDx talk, Griffin described plans to build “the world’s first vertical farming city” in Philadelphia, positioning vertical farming as a cost-effective solution for year-round indoor crop production. He claimed Metropolis Farms’ high-density system could produce more than two million pounds of food annually in just 14,000 square feet, using 80 percent less real estate and at a fraction of the cost of comparable vertical farms at the time. The technology, he said, was designed to be affordable and accessible, with equipment parts sourced from hardware stores and minimal training required for operators.
According to court documents, Griffin provided two companies with financial projections in 2017 that significantly overstated potential revenues and understated operational costs. Based on these projections, both companies paid Second Story Farming to establish vertical farms.
Instead of fulfilling the contracts, Griffin used much of the funds for personal expenses and to support the company’s research and development activities. He also failed to file a tax return for 2017 and attempted to conceal his income through cash withdrawals, personal spending from business accounts, and transferring funds to his wife.
Read the complete article here.
Source: https://cityfarmer.info/metropolis-farms-founder-pleads-guilty-to-fraud-years-after-tedx-vertical-farming-vision/
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