Tennessee Man Receives Federal Prison Sentence for Crop Insurance Fraud

David Garrett Manion, a 61-year-old resident of Lafayette, Tennessee, was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in federal prison for defrauding the federal crop insurance program. The sentencing, announced by U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett and other officials, also includes 3 years of supervised release and an order to pay $3.5 million in restitution.

Manion’s fraudulent activities spanned from 2016 to 2022, during which he used family members to apply for crop insurance on his behalf while he was debarred due to a prior conviction for the same offense in 2016. As part of his previous case, Manion had agreed to a five-year debarment from the federal crop insurance program.

The investigation, conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Inspector General, the Risk Management Agency’s Special Investigations Division, and the FBI Bowling Green Resident Agency, revealed that Manion continued to farm and insure tobacco crops through other family members, defrauding the federal program. Additionally, Manion agreed to pay nearly $5.5 million to the Risk Management Agency to resolve other outstanding issues.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David Weiser prosecuted the case, which highlights the ongoing efforts of federal agencies to combat fraud in government programs. For more information on federal crop insurance and related regulations, visit the USDA Risk Management Agency website.