A federal fraud case against Peterson Farms is scheduled to begin next week in St. Paul. Peterson Farms, Wendell, Minn. and its related entities Division III Farms and Keywest Farms are accused of receiving $4.2 million in farm subsidies and $675,592 in crop insurance to which they weren’t entitled.
According to a criminal complaint, from 1996 to 2002, the defendants conspired to circumvent farm program caps by falsely claiming that Peterson Farms, Keywest Farms and Division III Farms were separate and distinct farming operations and by falsely claiming that certain persons affiliated with the three partnerships were actively engaged in farming.
Defense attorney Kevin T. Duffy of Thief River Falls said the case comes down to “an interpretation of complicated statutes” and that Farm Service Agency officials helped the farmers involved with the three entities complete the required documentation.
U.S. District Judge Richard H. House will preside over the case. Jury selection is slated for Monday.
Source:AP NewsFinder
Topics Fraud Agribusiness Minnesota
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