A Kansas man has been convicted of scamming ranchers in Montana and Wyoming out of thousands of dollars in hay, a scheme that preyed on the desperation of farmers during the drought of 2021, Tri-State Livestock News reports.
Jory Parks, a resident of Logan, Kansas, used his trucking business to deceive victims by accepting down payments for hay shipments that were never delivered.
Parks was sentenced in November by the US District Court in Billings, Montana. He has been ordered to serve five years of probation and pay $100,000 in restitution to his victims, including a significant payment to rancher Katalina Pfeil from Sundance, Wyoming, who lost $38,000 in the scam.
The fraud occurred as ranchers were struggling to feed their cattle during the dry conditions of 2021. Parks exploited their need for hay by using social media to solicit down payments and then failing to deliver the promised shipments. Some victims, including Pfeil, discovered that Parks had resold much of the hay to other buyers.
The impact of the scam extended beyond financial losses, with Pfeil noting the emotional and practical toll it took on her and her family. The incident caused severe disruption on her ranch, forcing her to reduce her herd by 25% to cope with the financial strain of replacing the hay she had paid for.
Pfeil, who was pregnant at the time of the fraud, turned to social media to connect with other victims, creating a private Facebook group that now includes 500 members. Many of the members claim to have been similarly swindled by Parks. The group helped the FBI trace the victims from Montana, and efforts to hold Parks accountable continue.
The town of Logan, Kansas, where Parks is from, has been affected by the news of his conviction. Logan is a small, tight-knit community, with a population of around 500 residents, many of whom work in agriculture. Local residents are concerned about the impact of Parks’ criminal actions on the town’s reputation, as many in the community are involved in farming.
Jim Ashmore, a native of Logan, described the town as “a clean town” and a place where people “pull together” in times of need. While the conviction has cast a shadow over Logan, the community’s resilience remains strong.
Pfeil’s advice to other ranchers is to exercise caution when purchasing hay or other goods. She urges buyers to avoid prepaying or making down payments unless they know the seller personally, and to ensure that they have a written agreement or at least a detailed text message confirming the terms of the transaction. She also recommends contacting local authorities or other producers in the area to verify the legitimacy of a seller.
