GREENWOOD — Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced the sentencing of John R. Coleman, former CEO of Express Grain Terminals LLC, Wednesday for five counts of making false representations to defraud the government and one count of false pretenses to the more than 400 victim farmers.

 

 

 

“The fraudulent actions of this defendant cost many Mississippi farmers their livelihood,” said Fitch. “I am proud of our work with federal and state partners to investigate and prosecute these crimes. My office is committed to providing justice to the hardworking farm families that were the victims here, and we will continue to hold those who defraud Mississippi and the Mississippi people accountable.”

 

Express Grain operated as a grain elevator in the Greenwood area that purchased, processed and stored grain harvested by local farmers. Coleman altered the audited financial statements of Express Grain in order to receive a state warehouse license, lied about the amount of debt he owed on grain held at the Express Grain facility and claimed to farmers that Express Grain was financially healthy when Express Grain was on the brink of bankruptcy. Express Grain eventually filed bankruptcy in 2021 causing widespread financial hardship for farmers all over the Mississippi Delta.

 

On Wednesday. Leflore County Circuit Court Judge Margaret Carey-McCray sentenced Coleman to 15 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, with the first 10 years to be served concurrent with the federal sentence, and ordered him to pay $750,000 in restitution to the state.

 

In February, U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills sentenced Coleman to serve 120 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release 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’s Northern District of Mississippi Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations investigated the case.