Columbus Man Sentenced to 5 Months in Prison for Mail Fraud and Making False Statements

Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Jerald Schreiber, 66, of Columbus, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for mail fraud and making false statements.  Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Schreiber to 5 months of imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  After his release from prison, Schreiber will begin a three-year term of supervised release.  Schreiber must also pay $138,184 in restitution.

On May 12, 2023, following a four-day jury trial, Schreiber was found guilty of mail fraud and two counts of making false statements to a government entity.  The case arose out of fraudulent applications Schreiber made to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as part of the Farm Service Agency’s 2018 market facilitation program.  The evidence at trial showed that Schreiber falsified on two applications the number of hogs he had at his farms.  On an application for one of his farms, he stated that he had 9,079 hogs.  This application resulted in the USDA mailing Schreiber approximately $72,631.  On an application for a different farm, he stated he had 8,194 hogs.  This resulted in the USDA mailing Schreiber approximately $65,682.  Both of these farms had substantially fewer hogs than Schreiber claimed.  By inflating the number of hogs, Schreiber received more money than he was entitled.  Once he received the inflated payments, he deposited them into checking accounts.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.