From - Fri Jan 10 11:41:36 2003 Return-Path: Received: from am3.baremetal.com ([208.184.111.61]) by rwcrgwc56.attbi.com (InterMail vM.4.01.03.37 201-229-121-137-20020806) with ESMTP id <20030110142116.HLQT10860.rwcrgwc56.attbi.com@am3.baremetal.com>; Fri, 10 Jan 2003 14:21:16 +0000 Received: from localhost (mapinc@localhost) by am3.baremetal.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with SMTP id h0AEC0p07659; Fri, 10 Jan 2003 06:12:01 -0800 Received: by am3.baremetal.com (bulk_mailer v1.5); Fri, 10 Jan 2003 06:11:33 -0800 Received: (from mapinc@localhost) by am3.baremetal.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) id h0AEBXX07532 for fear-list-outgoing@mapinc.org; Fri, 10 Jan 2003 06:11:33 -0800 Message-ID: <200301100816010681.00F415D3@canufly.net> X-Mailer: Calypso Version 3.30.00.00 (4) Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2003 08:16:01 -0600 From: "Leon Felkins" To: fear-list@mapinc.org, fear-talk@mapinc.org Subject: FEAR: FARM FRAUD: Huber guilty - must forfeit $5.9 million Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-2" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Sender: owner-fear-list@mapinc.org Reply-To: fear-talk@mapinc.org List-Unsubscribe: Organization: Forfeiture Endangers American Rights http://www.fear.org/ X-Mozilla-Status: 8001 X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 X-UIDL: <200301100816010681.00F415D3@canufly.net> Now I thought that the payment of huge sums to the rich "farmers" was an= accepted form of scam, endorced and operated by the government. Somehow= this guy got crossways with them. I suspect it was more than just= falsifying some forms, as alleged. Now since this money was originally stolen from the taxpayers to give to= this "farmer", would it be possible that the $5.9 million will be= restituted to the taxpayers? Nah, I suppose that would set some sort of= bad precedent. The article is online at= http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforksherald/2002/11/28/news/local/462274= 7.htm . The government's version is available as a PDF file at= http://www.rma.usda.gov/news/2002/12/1218huber.pdf . Leon S. Leon Felkins, Executive Director of F.E.A.R. email to leon@fear.org ----------------------------------------------------------------------------= --------------- The American public knows what it wants, and deserves to get it good and= hard. -- H. L. Mencken ----------------------------------------------------------------------------= --------------- >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> FARM FRAUD: Huber guilty Insurance agent must pay $5.9 million, faces jail time By Mikkel Pates Herald Staff Writer FARGO - A jury Wednesday convicted Duane Huber of Wimbledon, N.D., of 19= felony fraud counts and awarded the government $5.9 million on a money= laundering count. Prosecutors called the pronouncement a ground-breaking verdict on farm= program fraud and said it bore national significance. . .. In its conviction, the jury agreed with the government that Huber, 58, a= 27-year veteran Farmers Union insurance agent, set up sham farm operations= that produced more than $14.1 million in income from 1994 to 1999,= benefiting him in various ways including as a tax write-off. . . . Wrigley said the case has state, regional and national significance because= it is the "first-ever racketeering verdict in a farm program fraud case,"= describing it as setting "new ground in the battle against financial, tax= and program fraud." Hochhalter said he doesn't think government regulations include too much of= a gray area for farmers. "The vast majority of farm producers are able to answer (questions) and= answer them honestly." . . . After the guilty verdict, the jury went into a second, brief phase to= determine how much property Huber should forfeit as a result of one= charge, the money-laundering conviction. The government asked that all $14.1 million be included - all the farm= program, crop insurance and grain sales. The farms Huber owned or was= involved with through what he called "coordinated farming" at times= totaled 85,000 acres in North Dakota. Among the property the government said Huber owned was a list of equipment.= In Wednesday testimony, Huber said some of the machinery on the list had= already been sold, and some vehicles on the list he hadn't owned for 10= years. Under Nodland's questioning, Mike Cameron, an IRS agent from Bismarck,= N.D., acknowledged that there had been no effort to subtract any expenses= from the $14.1 million income. Nodland, who even after the conviction would only refer to the= co-conspirators as "so-called" sham farms, objected to the jury's use of= the forfeiture evidence list, but Webb overruled. After an hour of deliberation, the jury sent a message to the judge that= "We cannot reach a conclusion. What do we do now?" Webb then sent back a message that the jury should continue to deliberate= into Wednesday evening, and possibly reconvene on Friday. Nodland objected to this instruction, saying, "They are a hung jury." But at about 6 p.m., the jury reached what its foreman called a "unanimous= compromise" that would reduce penalties from money laundering to $5.9= million. One juror in the case said this was simply the money that went= through the sham farms, not what was involved in Huber Partnership and= Huber Farms Inc. . . . <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< ****************************************************** FEAR also offers an unmoderated discussion list and digests for all lists List unsubscribe: mailto:fear-list-request@mapinc.org?Body=unsubscribe Swap to digest: mailto:owner-fear-list@mapinc.org?subject=digest ******************************************************