Washington - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reached a consent decision with Cody Easterday (Easterday) of Pasco, Wash., on Aug. 11, 2023, for violations of the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act.
Easterday entered into a series of cattle feeding agreements with Tyson Fresh Meats (Tyson). Pursuant to the agreements and as a livestock dealer, Easterday procured feeder cattle under his name and within a few days, resold those same cattle to Tyson and placed them on feed for Tyson at feedlots he owned. Under the Cattle Feeding Agreements, Easterday would feed and care for the cattle until they were ultimately delivered to Tyson for harvest at its beef processing plant in Pasco, Wash.
Beginning in or around 2016 and continuing through November 2020, Easterday submitted false and fraudulent invoices and other information to Tyson for cattle he had never purchased and did not exist. The false and fraudulent invoices caused Tyson to pay Easterday approximately $233,008,042 for the purported costs of purchasing and growing nonexistent cattle never purchased or delivered to Easterday.
Under the consent decision, Easterday agreed to cease and desist from misrepresenting the sale of livestock by creating records that are not a true representation of the livestock transaction. Easterday is suspended as a registrant for the duration of his incarceration in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, plus five years from his release date. After that time, the order may be modified to lift suspension upon application to P&S and demonstration of payment of all amounts owed due to his false and fraudulent livestock transactions.
Creating false or misleading records is an unfair and deceptive practice in violation of the P&S Act and regulations. The P&S Act is a fair trade practice and payment protection law that promotes fair and competitive marketing environments for the livestock, meat and poultry industries.
For further information about the Packers and Stockyards Act, contact Dora Malykin, Packers and Stockyards Division, at (202) 720-7051 or by email at dora.malykin@usda.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service