Farmer and reality TV star plead guilty to multimillion-dollar fraud scheme

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Gallatin, Missouri, farmer whose family farm was part of a reality TV show pleaded guilty Tuesday in KCMO federal court to a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme.

Steve A. McBee, 52, is the owner of McBee Farming Operations and one of the company’s main characters. Peacock/Bravo reality TV series “The McBee Dynasty: The Real American Cowboys.”

McBee pleaded guilty to a count of federal crop insurance fraud, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Kansas City.

He will pay the compensation determined by the court.

The news release stated that the total damages claimed by the government were $4,022,123.

McBee must also forfeit the government $3,158,923.

He could be sentenced to up to 30 years in federal prison without parole.

McBee admitted that his farming business sold more than 1.2 million bushels of corn and nearly 416,000 bushels of soybeans to another party in 2018, according to the news release.

He submitted false crop insurance records stating that his farm produced only 340,476 bushels of corn and 190,171 bushels of soybeans.

McBee also admitted to committing fraud in 2019 and 2020 during Tuesday’s hearing.

No sentencing date has been set.

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