Attorney General Lynn Fitch announcedthe sentencing of John R. Coleman, former CEO of Express Grain Terminals,LLC, for five counts of making false representations to defraud the governmentand one count of false pretenses to the more than 400 victim farmers.
"The fraudulent actions of this defendant cost many Mississippi farmers theirlivelihood," said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. "I am proud of our workwith federal and state partners to investigate and prosecute these crimes. Myoffice is committed to providing justice to the hardworking farm families thatwere the victims here, and we will continue to hold those who defraudMississippi and the Mississippi people accountable.
"Express Grain operated as a grain elevator in the Greenwood area thatpurchased, processed, and stored grain that had been harvested by localfarmers. Coleman altered the audited financial statements of Express Grain inorder to receive a State warehouse license, lied about the amount of debt heowed on grain held at the Express Grain facility, and claimed to farmers thatExpress Grain was financially healthy when Express Grain was on the brink ofbankruptcy. Express Grain eventually filed bankruptcy in 2021 causingwidespread financial hardship for farmers all over the Mississippi Delta.
March 19, Leflore County Circuit Court Judge Margaret Carey-McCray sentenced Coleman to 15 years in the custody of the MississippiDepartment of Corrections (MDOC), with the first 10 years to be servedconcurrent with the federal sentence, and ordered him to pay $750,000 inrestitution to the State.In February, United States District Judge Michael P. Mills sentencedColeman to serve 120 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervisedrelease, and ordered him to pay $69,841,797 in restitution to 152 victims.Along with the Mississippi Attorney General's Office, the U.S. Attorney'sNorthern District of Mississippi Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, and theInternal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations investigated the case.
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