Missouri Father, Son Accused Of Defrauding Colorado Farmers
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP/CBS4) - A Missouri father and son face federal charges accusing them of defrauding farmers, including some in Colorado, out of about $860,000 in a hay-selling scheme that spanned several states.
Federal prosecutors in Kansas City say 50-year-old Mark Henry of Cameron, and his son, 28-year-old Mark Henry Jr. of Lucerne, face 15 counts, including conspiracy to defraud and wire fraud.
Online court records don't list lawyers for either defendant.
They're accused of advertising hay to sell to farmers dealing with drought from 2010 to 2012. Prosecutors say they required farmers to pay in advance for hay that was advertised to be of good quality but actually "consisted of weeds, sticks, bushes, small trees, briars, thistles and woody stems."
Along with Colorado, their customers were in Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas, Wyoming and New Mexico.
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