All seven defendants in a 2019 farm fraud case were sentenced Friday to prison terms ranging from a year and a day to two years by Chief U.S. District Judge D. Price Marshall Jr. for their involvement in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Agriculture out of more than $11.5 million that was intended to benefit farmers who had been discriminated against.
Four of the defendants, all of whom are sisters, were each sentenced to serve 24 months in federal prison. Lynda Charles, 73, of Hot Springs; Rosie Bryant, 75, of Colleyville, Texas; Delois Bryant, 76, of North Little Rock; and Brenda Sherpell, 73, of Allport each pleaded guilty on July 6, 2022, to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and to defraud the Internal Revenue Service.
Niki Charles, 50, of Puerto Rico, was sentenced to serve 16 months in federal prison for her involvement in the fraud scheme. Charles admitted that she and others solicited people to file false claims, asserting they were discriminated against when they tried to get assistance from USDA for their farming operations. Charles said she verified statements from corroborating witnesses who submitted affidavits to support the claims, but none of those witnesses actually appeared before Charles. Those actions resulted in $4.5 million in loss.
Jerry Green, 42, of Grand Prairie, Texas, a tax preparer hired by the sisters to falsify tax returns, was sentenced to one year and one day for conspiracy and Everett Martindale, 76, a Little Rock attorney who acted...
The government is moving to reassure sugarcane farmers and counter misinformation, confirming that its financial support for the 2025 crop season remains intact and properly calculated. Minister f...