Fargo, N.D. (AP) Two North Dakota brothers have been convicted of intentionally destroying potatoes to collect crop insurance payments.
A jury on Thursday found 50-year-old Aaron Johnson and 47-year-old Derek Johnson guilty of conspiring to receive illegal payments and giving false statements. Prosecutors said the men defrauded the federal government out of about $2 million.
Prosecutors said the brothers exploited the government's crop insurance program, meant to help farmers recover from losses due to naturally occurring events, including bad weather and the wet breakdown of inner potatoes after harvest. Prosecutors say that among other things, the brothers used chemicals to accelerate deterioration of their potatoes.
But the brothers' attorneys argued that prosecutors had no hard evidence against their clients. Defense attorneys said the key witness was a convicted felon with no credibility.