KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Missouri farmer pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges related to his role in a cattle fraud scheme, just days after admitting he killed two Wisconsin brothers to cover it up, according to federal prosecutors.
Garland Joseph Nelson, 28, pleaded guilty in federal court in Kansas City to one count of mail fraud and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.
The plea in the U.S. Court for the Western District of Missouri means Nelson admitted to defrauding Diemel’s Livestock, LLC, a Wisconsin company, of over $215,000 in cattle dealings when he fraudulently billed the company, saying he needed the money for feed and yardage for cattle that he had actually killed.
Many of the cattle in Nelson’s care died to incompetence, neglect or maltreatment, the news release said. When feeding cattle, he dropped hay bales without removing the plastic coverings, leading cattle to eat the plastic and die.
Nelson previously pleaded guilty on Sept. 30 to the murders of Nicholas and Justin Diemel, who were brothers and principals at the livestock company. Nelson killed the brothers to cover up his scheme, according to the news release.
Nicholas Diemel asked Nelson throughout the spring of 2019 for payment for his cattle and stopped sending new cattle to Nelson. In June 2019, Nelson mailed the Diemels a check for more than $215,000 from an account with a balance of 21 cents. He also tore and damaged the check so that it couldn’t be cashed.
The Diemels traveled to Missouri in July 2019, after Nelson told them they would need to come in person to receive their payment. When the Diemels arrived at Nelson’s mother’s farm in Braymer, the rest of the family was away in Branson.
Nelson murdered the brothers and tried to dispose of their bodies, which were later found by investigators.
At the time, Nelson was in possession of a Marlin 30-30 rifle and ammunition, leading to an additional charge for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was previously convicted on felony charges in 2015 for running another cattle fraud scheme that cost victims more than $262,000.
Nelson could face up to 30 years in federal prison without parole and an additional two years in federal prison for violating his supervised release in his 2015 case. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after an investigation by the United States Probation Office.
He already faces a life sentence for pleading guilty to first-degree murder.
———
