The U.S. Attorney’s office in Anchorage on Wednesday announced an indictment by a federal grand jury for wire fraud and false statements to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The indictment is in connection with the construction and management of Valley Dairy, doing business as, Matanuska Creamery in Alaska. The six-count indictment named Kyle E. Beus, 48, as the sole defendant.
Bues is a co-owner of the dairy. U.S. Attorney Kevin Feldis says the allegations in the indictment charge that as early as 2007, Beus was involved in a scheme to defraud the USDA through federal grants.
“Its alleged in the indictment that he submitted false invoices to obtain payment for things that he didn’t really purchase or spend the money on. In total it’s alleged that over 120-thousand dollars was fraudulently obtained.” Feldis said.
A call to the owners of Matunuska Creamery was not returned before deadline.
The entire amount of the USDA grant was approximately $643,000.
The Matanuska Creamery is located off the Palmer-Wasilla Highway. It sells wholesale and retail dairy products through a storefront at the creamery, which has been open for about four years.
Feldis says the USDA’s office of Inspector General worked closely with the FBI to put the case together.
The maximum penalties are up to 30 years in prison and $1 million dollars in fines.
A trial will be set for U.S. Federal court in Anchorage within 70 days.
Daysha Eaton is a contributor with the Alaska Public Radio Network.
Daysha Eaton holds a B.A. from Evergreen State College, and a M.A. from the University of Southern California. Daysha got her start in radio at Seattle public radio stations, KPLU and KUOW. Before coming to KBBI, she was the News Director at KYUK in Bethel. She has also worked as the Southcentral Reporter for KSKA in Anchorage.
Daysha's work has appeared on NPR's "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered", PRI's "The World" and "National Native News". She's happy to take assignments, and to get news tips, which are best sent via email.
Daysha became a journalist because she believes in the power of storytelling. Stories connect us and they help us make sense of our world. They shed light on injustice and they comfort us in troubled times. She got into public broadcasting because it seems to fulfill the intention of the 4th Estate and to most effectively apply the freedom of the press granted to us through the Constitution. She feels that public radio has a special way of moving people emotionally through sound, taking them to remote places, introducing them to people they would not otherwise meet and compelling them to think about issues they might ordinarily overlook.
