Paxton Carrier, a 24-year-old from Harrison, Nebraska, has been sentenced to 12 months in federal prison for ripping off the U.S. government by selling off collateral tied to a Farm Service Agency (FSA) loan and pocketing the proceeds. The hard numbers hit hard: $275,403.52 in restitution, a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund, and a full year behind bars.
On February 7, 2018, Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken of the U.S. District Court handed down the sentence after Carrier pleaded guilty to one count of Conversion of Mortgaged Property. The crime wasn’t some spur-of-the-moment decision—it was a calculated move. Carrier secured a loan from the FSA, which required specific property as collateral. Instead of honoring that agreement, he turned around and sold off a large portion of the mortgaged assets.
What happened next sealed his fate. Rather than funneling the sale proceeds back to the FSA as required by law, Carrier used the money to clear personal debts and splurge on private purchases. There was never even a single payment made on the original loan. The scheme unraveled under federal scrutiny, exposing Carrier’s deliberate breach of trust.
The case was rooted in agricultural financing, a lifeline for many rural operations, but Carrier treated it like a personal piggy bank. The FSA loan was intended to support farming operations, not fund a private spending spree. His actions not only violated federal law but also undermined a system designed to support struggling farmers.
Investigation was led by the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Agriculture, an agency that polices fraud in federal farm programs. Their probe peeled back the layers of Carrier’s financial maneuvers, revealing a clear paper trail of misappropriated funds. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case, pushing for accountability in a system too often exploited by those playing dirty.
U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons confirmed the outcome, emphasizing that fraud against federal lending programs won’t go unnoticed. Carrier now faces a year in prison, a permanent felony record, and a massive debt to repay. The message is clear: when you mortgage public trust, the feds collect—with interest.
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Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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