Farmer Sentenced In Crop Insurance Fraud Case
Strickland was sentenced to six months in prison followed by three years supervised release by U.S. District Judge
Strickland was ordered to make restitution of
Strickland previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to make false statements, to make material false statements, to commit mail fraud and wire fraud and to structuring transactions.
"As a farmer, Strickland understood the importance of the federal crop insurance program as a safety net to the community in times of disaster and yet, he stole from that same program," Walker said. "The sentence imposed today reflects the seriousness of his offense and should serve as a deterrent for others."
Prosecutors allege Strickland filed a false crop insurance claim in that he hid tobacco production from the
He allegedly profited under the scheme because he was paid twice for each pound of tobacco -- once through the false crop insurance claim and also from the sale of the "hidden" tobacco for cash, federal officials said. To conceal the conspiracy, he made false statements to law enforcement officers during the investigation, they said.
From staff reports
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