Sioux Falls Man Sentenced for Wire Fraud

Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Wire Fraud was sentenced on September 13, 2021, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.

Dallas Harkness, age 64, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, restitution in the amount of $738,557.34 to Hoegemeyer Hybrids (formerly Curry Seed Company), and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Harkness was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 6, 2020.  He pled guilty on June 21, 2021.

The conviction stemmed from a wire fraud scheme that began on or about January 2010 and continued through September 25, 2018.  Harkness was a sales manager for Curry Seed Company located in Elk Point, South Dakota.  On multiple occasions during the course of the scheme, Harkness received checks from Curry Seed customers as payment or pre-payment for seed.  Instead of sending the checks to Curry Seed for deposit, Harkness falsely and fraudulently deposited some of those customer checks into checking accounts he controlled.  Harkness then used the funds for his purposes. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman prosecuted the case.

Harkness has been allowed to self-surrender by October 12, 2021.