Is Richardson Fleeing to Houston Amid Criminal Probe into Fraud to Gain Employment at Buffalo Business?

Is it a coincident the same day news breaks that a criminal investigation is ongoing by Buffalo Police into Dante Richardson that he states in an interview he is going to Houston for an unspecific amount of time?

On January 14th, the Niagara Action published an article titled “Dante Richardson of Niagara Falls Under Criminal Investigation for Allegedly Defrauding Employer by Faking Education.” That article outlined a multi-facetted investigation underway by the Buffalo Police department into Richardson’s conduct.

The relevant portion of that article can be found below:

Richardson was fired from his employment at Buffalo Biodiesel, a Buffalo-based business that operates throughout the Northeast collecting used cooking oil from restaurants, on January 10th. According to multiple sources in the building who witnessed the termination, it was done with cause after an "outburst" with a "threat being made while being escorted out of the building by staff," according to a witness.

When Richardson was hired at Buffalo Biodiesel in December of 2025, he represented to the company – in writing – that he had various degrees. According to sources in the company, this included a bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester that was mentioned in his LinkedIn and a Master’s in Business Administration from Stanford University. As a result, he was purportedly hired at a salary north of $125,000.

Niagara Action confirmed through sources who viewed documents, one of which was publicly available on Richardson’s own LinkedIn profile, and the other written on his application, showing that he indeed purported to have these two degrees.

But there’s one problem––records show he does not have any degrees.

According to a source at Buffalo Biodiesel who conducted a search through the National Student Clearinghouse, Richardson does not have a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester, nor does he have any degree whatsoever from Stanford.

In fact, just to make sure they weren’t making a mistake, the company asked Richardson to sign a release for the Registrar’s office at Stanford to release transcripts––which they say he refused to sign.

In order to fully understand the lengths Richardson went to effectuate his fraudulent conduct, you need to understand his criminal history.

In 2014, he was convicted in Erie County Court of first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery, and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon for a violent home invasion that occurred in Buffalo in 2012. He is considered a violent felon under New York's penal code.

Prosecutors alleged the home invasion was both calculated and violent. Once inside the home wearing masks and armed with a loaded .32 caliber pistol, Richardson and his accomplice repeatedly threatened the victim’s life while demanding money. He fled the residence when Buffalo Police arrived, escaping $10 in cash and a bag of condoms.

The Judge sentenced him to 10 years in state prison. Richardson ultimately served eight years of that sentence before being released on parole in 2022, where he remained under supervision until 2023.

Curiously, the time that Richardson alleged to have studied at the University of Rochester aligns with when he was incarcerated.

Between his hiring date and termination, Richardson was purportedly paid north of $12,000 from Buffalo Biodiesel. The company seeks to recoup the money, arguing it was taken under false pretenses via deception to get wages without intending to ever do the job, nor ever actually performing services.

These facts led Buffalo Biodiesel to file a criminal complaint against Richardson with the Buffalo Police Department for fraud, which Buffalo Biodiesel says is actively being investigated.

The Buffalo Police Department is also investigating the threat made after Richardson was terminated while being escorted out of the building. According to a source familiar with the situation, the staff member who walked him out was told by Richardson, referring to his violent criminal history, to "leave me alone and look me up [to see what I've done]."

 In an article written by an online publication published on January 14th, Richardson was interviewed regarding a shooting that he was allegedly a victim of in the early morning hours of Monday, January 12th, where an unknown individual – of whom there is already a person of interest by New York State Police – shot him multiple times in the leg on the New York I-190. In the interview on January 14th, Richardson stated that he was leaving the area, saying, “I’m going to Houston to heal up. . .”

Richardson is not from Houston, nor has he ever lived in Houston according to a background check. Before moving to New York, he was a resident of Connecticut and still holds a Connecticut license, according to sources. Sources further indicate that this Connecticut license was used during his application process to Buffalo Biodiesel.

An attorney familiar with the investigation believes that charges are imminent against Richardson due to the clear-cut nature of his actions and documents provided/publicly available by Richardson to “perpetuate his fraud."

“There is more than just his lies about a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Stanford,” said the attorney. “There is also a work history publicly viewable on his LinkedIn full of lies and deceptions. One example was working as a 'Business Office Manager' at the age of 15; Another working as a 'summer intern' at M&T Bank at age 16. Apart from the several jobs he had on the outside world while incarcerated, he says he worked at Morgan Stanley as a 'Summer Intern' at age 17 'under the direct supervision of former Senior Vice President James Sexton III,' which never happened."

Buffalo Biodiesel would not provide comment.

Richardson’s work history will be the focus of our next article.

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Richardson Fleeing to Houston Amid Criminal Probe into Fraud to Gain Employment at Buffalo Business?