An Iowa farmer stole more than $1.7 million in agricultural subsidies, stole multiple identities and stalked a witness, earning him a 13-year prison sentence
Tanner Seuntjens, 33, of Danbury, Iowa, was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison on Thursday, April 9, after pleading guilty to one count of theft of government funds, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of crop insurance fraud and one count of stalking, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Iowa.
Seuntjens defrauded the USDA out of more than $1.5 million in Coronavirus Food Assistance Program grant funds between June 2020 and June 2021, according to the release. He submitted applications for the funds at three different county USDA farm service agencies, falsely claiming ownership of thousands of swine. He forged the signatures of two other people in submitting the applications and submitted false documentation to USDA commissioners who attempted to verify USDA payments.
He also defrauded a bank in South Dakota between March 2021 and April 2022, forging the signature of an authorized representative from the bank at least 20 times when livestock and grain sales required two-party checks because he pledged his accounts receivable as collateral for borrowed funds from the bank, according to the release. The bank did not receive more than $400,000 in collateral. Seuntjens, instead, used the funds on farming expenditures, a trip to Cocoa Beach and Disney World, transfers to family members and large cash withdrawals.
Seuntjens also committed crop insurance fraud in 2022 and 2023, the release said. He repeatedly underreported his crop yield to receive funds he was not entitled to, stealing $175,000 from taxpayers.
He also defrauded multiple agricultural suppliers by selling property they had a legal claim to, and sold livestock and grain in a third party’s name to avoid judgment in 2023 and 2024. He stalked one of the victims of his agricultural fraud, even with no-contact orders in place.
In a separate case, Seuntjens was found to have assaulted a witness and planted a tracking device on a minor. In August 2025, he traveled to Nebraska to plant a tracking device on the witness’s car when a no-contact order was in place. While in jail, he repeatedly contacted minors. He was found in contempt of court in March 2026.
He had a criminal history aside from his fraudulent activities. In 2020, he received a deferred judgment for a second-degree theft conviction. In 2023, he was convicted of third-degree theft and fined after a check he had attempted to pay prior restitution with a bad check. In 2024 and 2025, he pleaded guilty to three separate disorderly conduct charges.
Seuntjens received a 13-year-long sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand in Sioux City. He must pay $1.7 million in restitution to the USDA and serve a five-year term of supervised release. He is in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service until he can be transported to federal prison.
The Department of Justice, on April 7, just days before Seuntjen’s conviction, announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division, with the mission of prosecuting those who steal or misuse taxpayer dollars.
Kyle Werner is the breaking news and public safety reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@registermedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa farmer sentenced to 13 years for $1.7M USDA fraud scheme
Reporting by Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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