Two bros faked spoiled spuds in $2 million federal insurance swindle

Xeni Jardin 2:13 pm Fri Dec 12, 2014

potato1 In Fargo, North Dakota, two brothers were convicted this week of destroying potatoes so they could collect crop insurance payments.

Their scheme defrauded the federal government of about $2 million, said prosecutors.

From the Associated Press:

Jurors found Aaron Johnson, 50, and Derek Johnson, 47, of the Cooperstown area, guilty of conspiring to receive illegal payments and giving false statements.

Prosecutors said the brothers exploited the federal government's crop insurance program, meant to help farmers recover from losses due to naturally occurring events, including bad weather and the wet breakdown of inner potatoes after harvest. Prosecutors said that among other things, the brothers used chemicals to accelerate deterioration.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick Chase said that the crop insurance program is based on trust. "The fact that they so blatantly violated that trust makes me very pleased about the verdict," he said in a telephone interview after the verdict was announced

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