KLICKITAT COUNTY - A farm owner in Klickitat County is being ordered to pay over $600K in fines after filing false crop insurance claims.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, farmers who experienced loss due to weather or other factors can submit a claim to help recover from those losses.
However, they must disclose all sales of products during that crop year.
In 2015, Rick Gray, owner of Gray Farms & Cattle Co. LLC (Gray Farms), filed a claim and received $180,428 in indemnity payments.
In the claim, officials say he knowingly failed to report more than 35,000 bushels of wheat that he sold that year.
Farming and agriculture are a huge part of Eastern Washington, and since it is such a risky business, officials say programs like this are vital.
"The Crop Fraud Insurance Program is built to allow for that safety and security for when there is crop loss," United States Attorney Vanessa Waldref explained. "When there's fraudulent claims that are made, that insurance fund that is available to farmers when there is true instances of loss and a true need to be able to replenish your crops for the next year - those are less available, and it makes the whole crop insurance program more expensive and ultimately makes food more expensive for an entire community."
The False Claims Act calls for violators to be charged three times the amount of damages as well as additional penalties for each false claim filed.
Since the judge found both Gray and Gray farms liable, the...
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