USA - Kansas farmer admits defrauding USDA crop insurance

22.10.2019 802 views
A Kansas farmer has admitted to defrauding federal government crop insurance programs before lying in court documents when filing for bankruptcy. Trego County farmer Kevin W. Struss pleaded guilty Monday at a federal courthouse in Wichita to one count of federal crop insurance fraud and one count of bankruptcy fraud, court documents show. In the plea deal, prosecutors said they plan to ask the court for more than $2.1 million in restitution. That total includes more than $600,000 in insurance premium benefits, more than $1.2 million in federal crop insurance premium subsidies and more than $270,000 in administrative costs. Struss admitted in the plea agreement that in the spring of 2015 he devised a scheme to defraud the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation. The plan involved making false proof of loss statements that under-reported his total harvested bushels of corn and grain sorghum, which is also known as milo. Those crops had been insured with an FCIC subsidy. As a result of the scheme, he was paid crop insurance benefits to which he was not entitled.
Then in April 2018, Struss filed for bankruptcy. He marked that he had not transferred property to anyone in the previous two years. In fact, Struss admitted in his guilty plea, he had transferred $470,000 to someone else within the three months before he filed for bankruptcy. Though Struss is only charged with crop insurance fraud from the 2015 reports, prosecutors alleged that his scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Agriculture continued with false reports in 2016 and 2017. The criminal case was filed against the rural WaKeeney farmer earlier this month. That first year, in 2015, Struss allegedly under-reporting the yields of his corn crop by about 23,524 bushels and his grain sorghum crop by about 31,208 bushels. The alleged false reports resulted in Struss receiving about $201,000 in federal crop insurance benefits and about $511,000 in federal crop insurance premium subsidies that he was not entitled to. Prosecutors also say the scheme led the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to pay additional administrative costs to ARMtech Insurance Services that would not have been paid if the reports were accurate. In 2016, prosecutors alleged, Struss under-reported his corn crop by about 116,194 bushels and sought more than $1.5 million in federal crop insurance indemnification payments to which he was not entitled. The claim was denied by Rural Community Insurance Services. Federal court records show that Struss sued Rural Community Insurance Services in April 2018 in relation to his 2016 corn crop. That case is in arbitration. In a separate case filed that same month, Struss sued the USDA, Risk Management Agency and Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, also in relation to his 2016 corn crop. A federal judge in Kansas City ruled in favor of the government agencies this summer. In 2017, prosecutors alleged, Struss under-reported his sorghum crop by about 35,530 bushels, causing Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company to pay him more than $108,000 in benefits to which he was not entitled. Prosecutors alleged in the bankruptcy fraud charge that Struss lied in his petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2018 because he had wired $470,000 to Kellie Acker in the previous months. A pair of online obituaries show Acker was Struss’s sister-in-law in 2015 and was his fiance in 2018.
Source - https://www.kansas.com
07.10.2026

India - Goa paddy crop hit by rainfall deficit, around 20 hectares affected

Goa’s paddy crop has been affected by deficient monsoon rainfall, with preliminary reports estimating damage to around 20 hectares of cultivated fields across the state.

07.10.2026

Post-Harvest Loss: How NASENI’s Local Innovations Are Safeguarding Nigeria’s Agricultural Yields

Every year, Nigerian farmers face a quiet tragedy that unfolds long after seeds are sown and crops are nurtured. Beneath the scorching sun, vast fields produce abundance, only for a staggering percentage of this yield to rot in transit, spoil in sub-optimal storage, or decay due to lack of immediate processing infrastructure.

07.10.2026

USA - As Farm Bill expires, Kentucky farmers could be left without crucial support

Agriculture leaders say delay could worsen already difficult year.

07.10.2026

Sri Lanka - Govt considers insurance or compensation scheme for coconut crop damage

The Government is considering introducing an insurance scheme or suitable compensation mechanism for damage to coconut cultivation, Minister of Plantations and Community Infrastructure Samantha Vidyaratne has said.

07.10.2026

Cambodia - MAFF plans crop insurance and solar irrigation for modern cooperatives

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) is evaluating a disaster-related insurance scheme for modern agricultural cooperatives. Coupled with solar-powered irrigation initiatives, the move aims to strengthen climate resilience and guarantee long-term agricultural production.

07.10.2026

Climate risk mitigation project implemented in northern Ghana

The Ghana Agricultural Insurance Pool (GAIP) and its partners have rolled out a unique insurance product for farmers in the northern part of the country to help them mitigate the negative impacts of climate change.

05.10.2026

Moldova receives 185 bids for crop insurance aid

Moldovan agricultural producers submitted 185 applications totaling roughly €0.98 million (approx. 19.64 million MDL) to subsidize insurance premiums for 2025 contracts, the country's farm payment agency announced following the close of its September call.

05.10.2026

Climate Risks Push Cambodia to Consider Crop Insurance for Farmers

Droughts, floods and rising temperatures are putting Cambodia’s farmers under growing financial pressure, prompting the Ministry of Agriculture to consider crop insurance as a way to protect farmers from losses.