Goat Seller Sentenced for Loan Scam

Andrew Hansen, a 36-year-old man from Decorah, Iowa, was sentenced to five years of probation and 50 hours of community service for selling farm equipment and goats pledged as collateral for a federal farm loan without notifying the USDA.

Hansen had procured farm operating loans from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Services Agency to operate a dairy goat farm in northeast Iowa. As security for the loans, he had pledged assets including farm equipment and dairy goats.

However, in August 2013, Hansen sold the pledged goats without notifying the Farm Services Agency and used the proceeds for his own purposes. He also sold various pieces of farm equipment pledged as security on the loans.

Hansen was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade. He was ordered to make $35,650 in restitution to the Farm Service Agency and can no longer legally possess firearms or ammunition due to his felony conviction.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and was investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture.

Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov. The case file number is 15-CR-2039.

Hansen’s actions were a serious breach of trust, and his sentence reflects the severity of his crimes. The USDA relies on the integrity of farmers and ranchers to ensure the success of its loan programs, and Hansen’s actions undermined that trust.