PARIS, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Paris, Ky. man was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of engaging in crop insurance fraud.
A five-count indictment charged Keith A. Foley, 49, with four counts of making false statements to influence the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (“FCIC”) and companies the FCIC reinsures, and one count of conspiring to commit wire fraud in the course of defrauding private insurance companies.
According to court documents, in 2010, Foley hid his tobacco production from insurance companies in order to claim damage to his crop sufficient to trigger crop insurance indemnity payments or generate larger indemnity payments, which are funded by the federal government through the FCIC.
The wire fraud conspiracy count alleges that Foley submitted Tobacco Test Sheets to his private insurance companies that were supposed to accurately reflect the amount of damage to his tobacco crop. Instead, according to the indictment, Foley, with the help of others, submitted Tobacco Test Sheets that were slightly altered duplicates of those submitted for other producers or that he had already submitted. Additionally, the indictment charges that Foley’s private crop insurance policy claim for crop year 2015 included a duplicated photograph submitted on another producer’s insurance claim.
For each charge of making false statements to the FCIC, Foley faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of $1,000,000. For the conspiracy to commit wire fraud, Foley faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
A court date has not yet been set.
