Florence Man Found Guilty of Defrauding Farm Assistance Program

Contact Person: Winston Holliday, Jr (803) 929-3000

Columbia, South Carolina ---- Acting United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Tyrone Goodrum, age 44, of Florence, has been convicted of Conspiracy, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, after a two-day trial in Florence that concluded late Tuesday.  United States District Judge R. Bryan Harwell of Florence presided over the trial and will sentence Goodrum at a later date.  On September 1, 2016, Tyrone Goodrum’s wife, Roselyn, pled guilty to participating in the same conspiracy.

Evidence presented at the trial established that Roselyn Goodrum was in charge of the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Florence office from 2006 through 2014.  In February 2014, Ice Storm Pax caused extensive damage to farms in the Pee Dee.  As a result, farmers could make claims to the FSA for financial assistance to clean up their land.  Tyrone Goodrum conspired with his wife to file an application for payment, fraudulently representing that he was entitled to disaster benefits for a farm to which he had no connection.  As a result, $18,500 in federal money was diverted to satisfy Tyrone Goodrum’s outstanding child support debt.  Overall, Roselyn Goodrum filed multiple false applications and illegally obtained just over $146,000. 

Ms. Drake stated the maximum penalty for Conspiracy is imprisonment for 5 years and/or a fine of $250,000.

The case was investigated by agents of the United States Department of Agriculture.  Assistant United States Attorney Winston Holliday, of the Columbia office,  prosecuted the case.

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