Fayette County Workers Sentenced With Jail And Probation

Workers at a Fayette County-based livestock dealer have recently been sentenced to probation and jail time following a fraud investigation.

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From 1999 to May 2021, workers at the Lynch Livestock have allegedly been part of a fraud scheme where they would routinely downgrade the weights and classification of hods to save money. According to reports, the plot targeted “every large corporate account that (the dealer) had with swine producers.”

On Friday, a bookkeeper from Lynch Livestock, Billie Joe Wickham, was sentenced to six months in jail and three years of supervised release. According to reports, Wickham was charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States.

Charlie Lynch, a sow procurement and marketing employee at the company was sentenced to five years of probation on conspiracy charges on Friday as well.

Both Wickham and Lynch were fined $3,000.

According to reports, Leland “Pete” Edward Blue, a sow marketing worker, and Tyler Jeffrey Thoms a livestock station manager were also scheduled to go before a federal judge on Friday. However, The Courier says, “minutes from the hearings have been sealed and the outcome remained unclear as of Friday night.”

The court alleged that Thoms would use a crowbar to rig hog scales to help hogs appear lighter when weighed by the company.

However, reports say that both were released.

Lynch Livestock was also charged in the investigation and in July, they entered a guilty plea. Their sentencing is scheduled for February.

According to reports, the company will face a $196,000 fine, three years probation, and $3.04 million in restitution.