Former Tyson manager sentenced for fraud

A former plant maintenance manager at the Tyson Foods facility in Emporia, Kansas, has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for wire fraud.

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Close-up Of Person Holding Magnifying Glass And Examining Fraud Blocks On Invoice
Close-up Of Person Holding Magnifying Glass And Examining Fraud Blocks On Invoice
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A former plant maintenance manager at the Tyson Foods facility in Emporia, Kansas, was sentenced to 27 months in prison for wire fraud.

During his six-year employment as a plant maintenance manager at Tyson Foods, David John Ranger used a company purchase card issued to him to pay funds into his personal bank account. He also funneled money through a non-existent company called Electric Motor Repair Service using his name, date of birth and social security.

Ranger “designated his personal bank accounts at Ally Bank, Community National Bank and Trust, and Core First Bank and Trust into which Square Inc. deposits for the Electric Motor Repair Service transactions were deposited,” according to court documents. The fraud scheme cost Tyson Foods more than $416,000.

Ranger was responsible for buying equipment, goods and services for plant maintenance during his employment as a plant maintenance manager from January 2013 to September 2019. The court documents stated that his improper use of the card began around the time he was named the maintenance manager until about April 15, 2019.

As a part of his sentence, Ranger was also ordered to pay $410,000 in restitution and will be on supervised release for three years following his release from jail.

Ranger was initially charged with wire fraud on February 9 and entered a guilty please on April 28.

The Emporia plant produces raw cuts of beef, pork and chicken for foodservice and retail. The facility was obtained by Tyson Foods in 2001 as part of Tyson’s acquisition of IBP Inc. The plant was converted into a specialty meats facility in 2008, and it underwent a line expansion, valued at $3 million, in 2014.

Tyson Foods, headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, is the largest chicken producer in the United States and the fifth largest turkey producer. It is also one of the nation’s four largest beef producer and a major producer of pork. The company is also expanding its presence in the plant-based protein sector.  

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