Steve A. McBee, the Missouri farmer who became known for starring in the reality TV series The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys, is facing serious legal consequences after pleading guilty to a multi-million dollar federal crop insurance fraud scheme.
A Snapshot of the McBee Family Business
McBee, 52, appeared alongside his four sons on the popular Peacock series that debuted in March 2024.
The first season followed the family’s farm business, with McBee claiming that the McBee Farm & Cattle Company was “on its way to being a billion-dollar company.”
However, McBee will not be returning for the second season of the show. Instead, his legal troubles have overshadowed his farming career.
The Fraud Scheme Details
McBee admitted to committing fraudulent activity between 2018 and 2020.
He was accused of submitting false crop production reports to his insurance companies, including Rain and Hail, which is reinsured by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation.
In his reports for 2018, McBee understated his crop yields by significant amounts.
While he reported only 340,476 bushels of corn and 190,171 bushels of soybeans, his farm actually produced more than 1.2 million bushels of corn and nearly 416,000 bushels of soybeans.
As a result of these deceptive reports, McBee was granted $2.6 million in federal crop insurance benefits, along with $552,980 in federal premium subsidies that he wasn’t entitled to receive.
Additional Fraudulent Actions
The fraudulent activities did not stop in 2018.
In 2019, McBee also provided misleading information to Rain and Hail in order to receive insurance for his soybean crop.
He falsely claimed that soybeans were the first crop planted in certain fields when, in fact, wheat had already been harvested there.
McBee also manipulated planting dates in 2020 to make his corn crop eligible for insurance, even though it had been planted after the official deadline.
He submitted false planting dates on crop insurance documents to NAU Country Insurance, further inflating his claims.
Legal Consequences and Upcoming Sentencing
McBee’s guilty plea comes with significant penalties.
His sentencing is set for March 13, 2025, where he could face up to 30 years in federal prison.
Additionally, he is required to forfeit $3.16 million to the government.
While McBee’s legal troubles continue to unfold, the reality show The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys will return for a second season in 2025, but McBee will not be a part of it.
The series, originally streaming on Peacock, has been moved to Bravo’s reality TV network.
A Reflection on McBee’s Words
Despite his conviction, McBee expressed remorse for his actions in a statement to The Kansas City Star.
“I personally accept responsibility, for the buck stops with me,” he said.
“I will always acknowledge a failure in judgment and action.”
He reaffirmed his commitment to running McBee ventures with high standards moving forward, though it remains to be seen how his reputation will be affected by his conviction.
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