A West Michigan farmer has been sentenced to prison for defrauding federal farm programs of more than half a million dollars.
Leonard Arthur ‘Lenny’ Kolberg, Jr., 57, of Bangor, Michigan, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for defrauding federal farm programs of more than $500,000.
U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney imposed the sentence on April 23, 2024.
Kolberg, who was a farmer and owner of Kolberg Farms, defrauded the Farm Services Agency by lying about the amount of corn he pledged as security for a $145,000 marketing assistance loan in 2009.
He sold the corn in the private market and kept the proceeds instead of paying off the loan, hiding some of his activity by selling the corn in other people’s names.
At the same time, Kolberg filed fraudulent crop insurance claims in connection with his 2009 harvest, and subsequently filed fraudulent crop insurance claims in connection with his 2013 and 2014 harvests. All told, Kolberg defrauded federal farm programs of $524,838.00.
U.S. Attorney Miles said that ‘protecting taxpayers and honest, hardworking farmers who rely on farm assistance programs is an important part of our mission. Individuals who defraud those programs should know that they will be prosecuted.’
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Key Facts
- State: Michigan
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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