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Contact: Jim Cross
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FAX:      316-269-6420

         Aug. 6, 2008

CATTLE BUYER PLEADS GUILTY TO FEDERAL FRAUD CHARGE

TOPEKA, KAN. – Jay Aaaron Wagner, 38, Oskaloosa, Kan., pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiring to defraud a cattle rancher in Jefferson County, Kan.

He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and to engage in monetary transactions with funds derived from unlawful acts.

According to his plea, Wagner and an unindicted co-conspirator defrauded the owners of the 1,200-acre J Bar Ranch by:
– Creating counterfeit documents that fraudulently inflated the average weight and the price of cattle he purchased for the J Bar Ranch.
– Creating counterfeit documents to falsely certify that cattle had been checked by a veterinarian for pregnancy.
– Creating false invoices from trucking firms to certify he had purchased cattle for the J Bar Ranch from a single location, as required by contract.
– Accepting payment from the J Bar Ranch based on his fraudulent claims and engaging in monetary transactions with the proceeds of the crime.

Wagner is scheduled for sentencing Nov. 7, 2008. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million. U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney and Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Hathaway for their work on the case.