The owners of two South Dakota tree farms linked to a Federal Crop Insurance Program fraud case have agreed to pay the federal government $170,000 to settle the case.
The payment settled allegations Black Hills Tree Farm and Western Hills Tree Farm, both of Philip, cheated the government by falsifying the sales of trees damaged in a 2004 hailstorm.
The businesses were accused of conspiring to defraud the Federal Crop Insurance Program by reselling the damaged trees while collecting $901,000 in insurance.
Under the terms of the settlement, Black Hills Tree Farm paid $150,000 and Burns $20,000.
The Rapid City Journal reports that the agreement says the owners of the tree farms deny the allegations but settled without admitting liability to avoid the inconvenience and expense of long litigation.
Topics Fraud Agribusiness
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Florida’s Property Tax Plan Risks Charging Fees for ‘Everything’ 
Shipper Escapes $41.9M Award for Man Paralyzed When Lights Fell From Pallet on Him 
Moody’s: US Faces $375B in Uninsured Flood Losses From 1-in-100-Year Event 
JPMorgan Banker Sues Ex-Colleague Over ‘Fabricated’ Sex Claims 
