USA - Kansas farmer admits defrauding USDA crop insurance

22.10.2019 712 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
13.08.2026

Dutch growers invest in oxygen-rich water for a more robust crop

A healthy root system starts with clean, oxygen-rich water. In the Netherlands, gerbera grower EveryD Flowers and bell pepper grower De Tuindershoek have both been looking for ways to further improve their water quality.

13.08.2026

India - 23,309-hectare crop hit by El Niño, full study soon: Minister R Vinoth

The minister said districts had received uneven rainfall following the El Niño event, affecting crops under cultivation. The government would take further action if drought conditions persisted in accordance with prescribed norms.

13.08.2026

USA - Storm-damaged crops prompt Iowa State Extension meeting in Jones, Linn counties

Farmers and landowners dealing with storm-damaged corn and soybean fields in eastern Iowa will have an opportunity next week to get advice from Iowa State University Extension specialists.

13.08.2026

Canada had one of the worst Julys ever for hail damage

In Saskatchewan, the week of July 3-10 was particularly destructive.

13.08.2026

USA - DOJ: Slocomb man sentenced for crop insurance fraud

A Slocomb man has been federally sentenced for making a false statement to the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC).

13.08.2026

India - Crop insurance registrations in Maharashtra rise to 81.4 lakh after 10-day extension

Maharashtra's crop insurance registrations reached 81.4 lakh after a ten-day extension. This increase followed initial lower enrollment due to past scheme dissatisfaction. 

12.08.2026

Sri Lanka - Rs. 2.5 Million Insurance Coverage introduced for farm houses

The Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board has announced a new insurance scheme to cover farm houses used for cattle, buffalo, goats, and pigs, aiming to safeguard farmers against climate and disaster risks.

12.08.2026

USA - 2026 Midwest Storms Flatten Corn as 100-Mph Winds Raise Crop Loss and Market Fears

Violent winds, tornadoes and flooding hit Midwest farms, flattening corn and raising concerns over yields, insurance claims and harvest costs.