Cody Easterday sentenced to 11 years in prison for cattle fraud scam
Read
Almost two years ago, Easterday confessed to swindling meat companies of hundreds of millions of dollars for the care and feeding of nonexistent cattle. After he came clean, Easterday worked with the bankruptcy court to sell off most of his family’s massive farm and ranch empire.
“It’s all come to a collapse,” Judge Stanley Bastian said in the courtroom Tuesday before sentencing Easterday to 11 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref said the $244 million Easterday stole was the largest amount in a criminal fraud case in the district of Eastern Washington.
“It’s very critical that we send a message to the community that this type of fraud — almost a quarter of a billion dollars — is taken seriously,” Waldref said.
Easterday’s lawyer Carl Oreskovich had argued for a lighter sentence, saying Easterday had been a community stalwart to the local 4-H kids, his workers and his family.
“He’s somebody that has helped everybody. And this is something that he’ll take hard,” Oreskovich said.
After the sentencing, Easterday’s supporters filed out of the courtroom silently.
Related Stories:
Preparing your Northwest garden for spring
Washington State University Extension has tips to help make sure your garden is ready this spring. (Credit: Washington State University Extension) Read In the dark days of winter, it’s never
Child care subsidies in Washington could be impacted as state faces budget gap
People stand in RoseMary’s Place, a child care agency on the Columbia County Health System campus in Dayton, Washington. (Credit: Columbia County Health System) Listen (Runtime 1:01) Read This year,
Two bills could make it easier for people in Washington state custody to vote, politically organize
A person walks near the Legislative Building, Wednesday, April 21, 2021, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. (Credit: Ted S. Warren / AP) Listen (Runtime 1:04) Read While people who
