Springfield, Ill. – United States District Judge Jeanne E. Scott today sentenced Ronnie E. Deal, age 63, of Morrisonville, Illinois, to a term of 15 months in federal prison for defrauding a government farm program. The U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois, Rodger A. Heaton, announced that Deal was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $198,629 to the Christian County Farm Service Agency. Deal was ordered to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons on May 14, 2007, to begin serving his prison term.

Deal pled guilty on September 26, 2006, to selling corn, from spring 2002 until August 2002, without authority or authorization, that he had pledged as collateral for a $251,550 loan he had received through the Commodity Credit Corporation.

The case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Chesley.