Diane Backis Stole $3.1M from Cargill in 10-Year Fraud

Diane Backis, 50, of Athens, New York, has pled guilty to a decade-long scheme that bled $3.1 million from Cargill, Inc., the nation’s largest privately held corporation. As an accounting manager at Cargill’s Port of Albany facility, Backis exploited her position to divert hundreds of customer payments into her personal bank accounts, all while slashing prices on grain sales and funneling the losses back to the company.

Federal prosecutors revealed that Backis didn’t just skim—she orchestrated a calculated fraud. From her desk, she generated fraudulent invoices that charged customers far below market rates for grain products, then rerouted the payments directly to herself. To cover her tracks, she falsified Cargill’s accounting records, fabricating entries that made it appear customers owed millions—then quietly reversed them. The result: at least $25 million in total losses to the agricultural giant.

U.S. Attorney Richard S. Hartunian didn’t mince words: “Ms. Backis stole millions of dollars from her employer in a decade-long scheme to enrich herself so she could live beyond her means.” He emphasized that her actions weren’t just theft—they were a systemic betrayal that undermined internal controls and corporate trust. “She sold grain products for millions less than her employer paid, causing enormous financial losses. Her guilty plea today sends a strong message that crime does not pay.”

The FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) spent months peeling back the layers of deception. FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Andrew W. Vale called the fraud “a sinister act” that went beyond mere theft. “Ms. Backis repeatedly victimized her employer,” Vale said. “This kind of fraud involves not only criminality but a willingness to cause Cargill, Inc. millions in losses.” IRS-CI’s Shantelle P. Kitchen added that Backis also committed tax fraud, omitting over $450,000 in stolen income on her 2015 tax return—declaring only $61,208 despite her illicit haul.

Now, the house of cards has collapsed. Backis faces up to 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. Sentencing is set for March 28, 2017, before U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino. As part of her plea agreement, she has agreed to pay $3.5 million in restitution to Cargill and forfeit her home in Athens, her investment brokerage account, and her Cargill pension benefits.

This case stands as a stark warning: even in the shadowed corners of corporate accounting, federal watchdogs are watching. Backis thought she could game the system for ten years. Now, she’ll face the full weight of it.