Tanner James Seuntjens, $1.5 Million USDA Scam, Iowa 2025

Tanner James Seuntjens, a 32-year-old farmer from Danbury, Iowa, has pleaded guilty to defrauding the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) out of more than $1.5 million in COVID-19 pandemic subsidies and stalking a victim and witness in his case.

According to federal court documents, Seuntjens was convicted of one count of theft of government funds, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of crop insurance fraud, and one count of stalking.

In a plea agreement, Seuntjens admitted that between June 2020 and June 2021, he defrauded the USDA out of more than $1.5 million in Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) grant moneys. He filed CFAP applications at three Iowa county USDA-Farm Service Agency offices in his own name and in the names of another individual and a limited liability company, falsely claiming ownership of thousands of swine.

Seuntjens also admitted that he submitted false documents to USDA-FSA county commissioners who were attempting to verify the USDA payments during so-called ‘spot checks.’

Separately, Seuntjens defrauded a South Dakota bank of more than $400,000 by forging the bank’s signature on two-party checks and spending the diverted funds on farming expenditures, a trip to Cocoa Beach and Disney World, transfers to family members, and large cash withdrawals.

Additionally, Seuntjens committed crop insurance fraud in 2022 and 2023 by repeatedly underreporting his crop yields, thereby receiving crop insurance funds to which he was not entitled.

Seuntjens also admitted to stalking another person who was a victim and witness in the federal case, placing a tracking device on the person’s car while on pretrial release in his federal criminal case.

Seuntjens faces a mandatory minimum sentence of three years of imprisonment without the possibility of parole and could receive up to 42 years’ imprisonment without the possibility of parole and a $1.75 million fine. He also may be ordered to serve up to 5 years of supervised release following his release from imprisonment.

Tanner James Seuntjens, theft of government funds, aggravated identity theft, crop insurance fraud, stalking, Danbury, Iowa. Convicted on September 19, 2025. Currently in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Seuntjens faces a mandatory minimum sentence of three years of imprisonment without the possibility of parole and could receive up to 42 years’ imprisonment without the possibility of parole and a $1.75 million fine.

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