Farmer kills himself to avoid jail for massive organic food scam



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A farmer who had organized a $ 142 million organic food scam – and spent his ill-gotten gains on escorts and gambling in Las Vegas – was killed after being sentenced to 10 years in prison, according to reported information.

Randy Constant, 61, was found dead in a vehicle inside the garage at his home in Chillicothe, Missouri on Monday night, the Associated Press reported.

The Livingston County coroner, Scott Lindley, determined that Constant had died of carbon monoxide poisoning and had decided to commit suicide, the AP said.

Constant was convicted on Friday for online fraud in a case that federal prosecutors dubbed "Field of Schemes," but he was allowed to remain on bail while the US Bureau of Prisons decided to fire him. where he would serve his sentence.

Constant, owner of an Iowa-based grain brokerage, admitted to having sold more than 10 million bushels of corn and soybeans that he allegedly falsely claimed to have been grown organically between 2010 and 2017.

Cereals were used primarily to feed cattle and chickens to produce organic marketed meat and eggs at higher prices, Federal Judge CJ Williams asserting that Constant "caused extreme and incalculable damage" to consumers. had trusted the organic food industry. .

Prosecutors said Mr. Constant had made more than 20 scams in Las Vegas, where he stayed in hotels, hired escorts and gambled, the Cedar Rapids Gazette, Iowa reported.

Combine harvester for maize maize seed
Getty Images / iStockphoto

He had sex with three women who lived in Sin City, prosecutors said, paying two more than $ 225,000 in corporate funds, although they have "very little value" for his businesses, announced the Gazette.

The bank records show that Constant also spent more than $ 360,000 in Las Vegas, including about $ 110,000 from a bank account he shared with one of the women.

These expenses include breast augmentation payments, overseas travel, a vehicle and insurance, the Gazette said.

When Constant was convicted, his lawyer, Mark Weinhardt, described it as a "real headache", highlighting the contradiction between his longstanding frauds and his good deeds, including serving the school board and giving time and money to local causes and the Methodist Church.

After her suicide, Constant's wife, Constant, issued a statement stating, "I know that Randy was deeply ashamed of his behavior. As much as we tried to be there for him … it was clearly too much for Randy. "

She also said he would be remembered as "a wonderful father, a community leader, a tireless volunteer and a beloved husband for 39 years."

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