Arizona rancher gets 41-month prison term for fraud schemes

[Ptah]

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — An Arizona rancher has been sentenced to nearly 3 ½ years in federal prison for his role in embezzlement and wire fraud schemes.

Prosecutors said 62-year-old Donald Hugh Nichols of Coolidge received a 41-month prison term after he pleaded guilty to wire fraud in U.S. District Court in Tucson.

Between 2013 and 2017, prosecutors said Nichols engaged in a scheme to steal cattle from the Marana Stockyards and Livestock Market, an entity which hosts weekly livestock auctions for Arizona ranchers.

As a cattle broker for third-party buyers, Nichols also illegally bid on his own cattle without the buyers’ knowledge or consent.

Prosecutors said some of the cattle that Nichols purchased on behalf of third-party buyers were stolen from Marana Stockyards.

https://apnews.com/article/arizona-tucson-978463b78459f49c2b7c9b4051d57546