""White collar crime is not victimless; victim companies can be devastated by crimes like these and the price of the commodities they sell can also be impacted," said Sid Patel, special agent in charge at FBI's Sacramento office."
"The operation ran for roughly two years, from 2015 through 2017, and targeted shipments of canola - a commodity commonly used in livestock feed - that were entrusted to Best's now-defunct transloading company."
"Investigators said the scheme relied on falsified inventory reports that overstated how much canola Best's company held, masking the shortfall as shipments were siphoned off and sold."
"At one point, as scrutiny intensified, Best provided Sawa with an old cellphone that belonged to his dead mother to avoid detection, believing company-issued devices were being monitored."
Richard Best, a Fresno businessman, was sentenced to three years in prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar canola theft scheme. He was ordered to pay $2 million in restitution after pleading guilty. The scheme, which ran from 2015 to 2017, involved diverting canola shipments meant for livestock feed through Best's logistics company. Best and an accomplice falsified inventory reports to mask the theft, generating approximately $4.8 million in proceeds, which funded personal expenses.
Read at SFGATE
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