LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV)— Four sisters plead guilty to defrauding the U.S. Department of Agriculture out of over $11.5 million that was intended to benefit underserved farmers who had been discriminated against.
Lynda Charles, 72, of Hot Springs, Arkansas; Rosie Bryant, 74, of Colleyville, Texas; Delois Bryant, 75, of North Little Rock, Arkansas; and Brenda Sherpell, 72, of Gainesville, Texas, each pleaded guilty on Wednesday to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and to defraud the Internal Revenue Service.
According to officials, the four defendants admitted in court that from 2008 until 2017, they solicited people to file false claims asserting they were discriminated against when they tried to get assistance from USDA for their farming operations.
Two other defendants, Niki Charles (who is the daughter of Lynda Charles) and Everett Martindale, who acted as the legal representative for most of the claimants that the five women recruited, were set to appear for trial on August 30, 2022.
Official documents also show the sisters admitted that they hired a tax preparer to falsify tax returns, resulting in the failure to report over $4.6 million to the Internal Revenue Service. The tax preparer, Jerry Green, pleaded guilty in January 2021, officials said.
As documented in plea agreements, the defendants submitted claims related to two matters: the Black Farmers Discrimination Litigation (BFDL) settlement and the Hispanic and Women Farmers and Ranchers (HWFR) claim program. The...
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