Lafayette, TN man receives sentence for crop insurance fraud

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A Tennessee man has been sentenced in crop insurance fraud case.

On Wednesday, David Garrett Manion, 61 of Lafayette, was sentenced to three years and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Minion is also ordered to pay $3.5 million in restitution for defrauding the federal crop insurance program between 2016 and 2022.

According to court records, Manion was also convicted of defrauding the federal crop insurance program in 2016. As a part of that case, Manion was issued a five-year debarment by the United States Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency. During the resolution of the case, Manion created a scheme involving other family members. Manion’s family members applied for and received crop insurance for tobacco that was farmed and owned by Manion. In this case, Manion was ordered to pay $3.5 million in criminal restitution and $5.5 million to the Risk Management Agency to resolve outstanding issues.

There is no parole in the federal system.

U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Miles Davis of the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of the Inspector General, Administrator Marcia Bunger of the United States Department of Agriculture, Risk Management Agency (RMA), and RMA Special Investigations Division, and Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the FBI Louisville Field Office made the announcement.

The case was investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency, Special Investigations, and the FBI Bowling Green Resident Agency.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David Weiser prosecuted the case.