A Kansas farmer has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Wichita on charges related to insurance fraud. According to court documents, David L. Mongeau, 54, of Holcomb faces two counts of making a false statement and 17 counts of bank fraud or attempted bank fraud. The indictment alleges that Mongeau filed a crop loss insurance claim and received payment after failing to disclose the sale of thousands of bushels of wheat he had reported as ruined.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investigating the case, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart is prosecuting.
In addition to Mongeau's case, several other indictments were announced involving Mexican nationals residing illegally in the United States. Edgar Cuellar-Ortega, 45; Miguel Modesto-Cesario, 26; Lazaro Rodriguez-Hernandez, 35; Jose Guillermo Uribe Perez, 38; and Enrique Villareal-Varela, 53 were each indicted on one count of unlawful reentry after deportation. Homeland Security Investigations is handling these cases with various assistant U.S. attorneys prosecuting.
Authorities emphasized that "an indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law."
