Sully County farm family penalized $4M in crop insurance fraud case

Family alleged sunflower, corn crops were lost when they were never planted

A Sully County farm family has been ordered to pay more than $4 million to resolve criminal crop insurance fraud convictions, U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell announced Tuesday.

The monetary penalty comes after James and Levi Garrett – a father and son farming partnership – were convicted of crop insurance fraud in 2022. The monetary penalty ordered by Chief U.S. District Judge Roberto Lange was meant to satisfy violations under the federal False Claims Act.

“Protecting taxpayer-funded programs from fraud and abuse remains a top priority for our office,” Ramsdell said in a release, “and we won’t stop at criminal convictions. As this case demonstrates, those who attempt to cheat federal programs face serious consequences—both criminal and civil.”