Wisconsin Farmer Sentenced for Federal Crop Insurance Fraud

John W. Vaudreuil, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Mark E. Johnson, 50, a farmer in Dresser, Wis., was sentenced on Feb. 13, 2017, in a federal crop insurance fraud case.

During a plea hearing in November 2016, Johnson had admitted to overstating his actual soybean and corn production history to his private crop insurer, who was reinsured by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Johnson admitted that he falsely understated his corn and soybean production in 2013 and 2014, in connection with his misreporting of his crop production over a three-year period. Johnson admitted that by falsely stating his production, he caused a loss of $228,523.35 to the federally funded crop insurance program.

He was sentenced to one year of probation, which includes six months of home confinement, was fined $20,000, and ordered to pay $228,523.35 in restitution.

The charge against Johnson was the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter M. Jarosz and Darren C. Halverson.

Source: United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Wisconsin