Kentucky Man Ordered To Pay Over $80K For Timber Theft

SOUTH BEND – United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, David Capp, announced that Cheyenne Allen, 40, of Salyersville, Kentucky was sentenced before Judge Jon E. DeGuilio, for mail fraud.

Allen was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment, 1 year of supervised release and ordered to pay 80,192.83 in restitution. 

According to documents filed in this case, Allen conducted a scheme to steal valuable walnut trees from the land of an absentee landowner.  After Allen’s timber-buying license was suspended by the State of Indiana, he began negotiating with a landowner to buy land in Cass County, Indiana.  Before Allen had purchased the land, he had a stand of valuable walnut trees logged from the land and sold it for over $80,000.  The landowner had no knowledge that Allen had cleared the land. 

This case was prosecuted as a result of an investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with assistance from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jesse M.  Barrett.

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