Southern Minnesota farmer pleads guilty in multimillion organic grain fraud scheme
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A southern Minnesota farmer pleaded guilty Friday to wire fraud after he made millions falsely claiming his crops were organic, according to U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger.
Court documents say between 2013 and 2021, certified organic farmer James Wolf, 65, engaged in a scheme to defraud grain purchases by selling non-GMO grains falsely represented as organic.
Organic crops are grown from non-GMO seeds and without chemicals or fertilizers.
The Cottonwood County farmer admitted in his guilty plea to purchasing conventionally farmed grains from a supplier and reselling them with the organic label.
The scheme allegedly netted profits of nearly $20 million. Using that money, Wolf purchased real estate, vehicles and farm equipment and investments. He will have to forfeit all the money he made from the fraud, the court says.
Wolf pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. His sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.