Man Jailed for Not Paying Livestock Broker $1 Million

US - After a three-year investigation a Missouri man appeared in Payne County court Monday after being arrested on Feb. 9 in Missouri on one count of obtaining property under false pretenses as a result of a three-year joint investigation.
calendar icon 16 February 2012
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Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) Special Rangers, the Oklahoma City Economic and Identity Crimes Task Force, which is sponsored by the US Secret Service, and the Payne County Sheriff’s Office joined forces to investigate the complex case resulting in the arrest.

Donald Keith Garrett, 58, of Newton, Missouri, allegedly failed to pay Perkins Livestock sales for more than 1,200 head of cattle, valued at more than $932,000, which Perkins Livestock sales purchased for Mr Garrett in November 2008. Robb Taylor, owner of Perkins Livestock sales in Perkins, Oklahoma, reported the case to TSCRA and the Payne County Sherriff’s Office the following December.

"Me being a new businessman, I took trust for granted and being in this industry, most of the time we can do that," Mr Taylor said.

"We're seeing it more and more with the way the markets are today. With the price of beef and the price of cattle going so high, we're seeing that and it's just going to get more and more prevalent," Mr Taylor said.

Lt. Santos Diaz, of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, who is assigned as an investigator for the Oklahoma City Economic and Identity Crimes Task Force, joined the investigation in June 2010. Working with TSCRA Special Rangers John Cummings and Bart Perrier, Lt. Diaz played a key role in the investigation and arrest. “The resources and dedication brought to this case by Lt. Diaz and the task force made the difference in this complex case” said Mr Cummings.

Following his arrest Mr Garrett was extradited to the State of Oklahoma and is currently being held at the Payne County jail in Stillwater on a $100,000 bond. The investigation into this case is ongoing.

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