Area farmer indicted for fraud

A local farmer in the Washburn-Falkirk area is scheduled to appear before a judge on March 3, as he faces charges of crop insurance fraud.

The indictment — filed by U.S. Attorney Nicholas W. Chase— states that Kent Pfaff issued false statements to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency, which handles crop insurance through the Federal Crop Insurance Corp, per a recent AG Week report.

Pfaff’s arraignment will be handled by Magistrate Judge Clare R. Hochhalter in the federal courthouse in Bismarck.

The government claims that the farmer “falsely represented, and caused another to falsely represent information to RMA/FCIC to shift production from different crop fields to manufacture and inf late crop insurance indemnities to which he was not entitled,”

In one instance in 2020, Pfaff “knowingly listed and affirmed” false information on wheat, corn and soybeans, both in “Production to Count” and “Production Per Acre.”

In fact, the accused party reportedly Chase fed false informat ion to Sheldon Crop Insurance Agency, FMH Ag Risk Insurance Co, and Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company of Iowa, as well as a Farmers Mutual Hail insurance adjuster.