McBee DynastyPatriarch Steven McBee Pleads Guilty to Multi-Million Dollar Crop Insurance Fraud, Faces 30 Years in Prison

Mar. 15, 2025

Steven McBee Sr. on The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys.Photo:PEACOCK

PEACOCK

Steven McBee has pleaded guilty in a multi-million dollar crop insurance fraud case.

TheMcBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboysstar, 52, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty to a fraud scheme involving the receipt of federal crop insurance benefits that he was allegedly not authorized to get in a federal court in Kansas City, Mo. on Nov. 5, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Missouri announced.

McBee — who is the owner of McBee Farming Operations — was charged with one count of federal crop insurance fraud. His guilty plea serves as an admission that he “engaged in fraudulent activity from 2018 to 2020 that caused an economic loss to the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” according to theDOJ press release.

The reality star is facing up to 30 years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled following the United States Probation Office’s presentence investigation.

The falsified reports allowed McBee to receive $2,605,943 in federal crop insurance benefits in addition to $552,980 in federal crop insurance premium subsidies. In total, he received $3,158,923 in benefits he was not authorized to get.

The farm owner also acknowledged that his company sold more than 1.2 million bushels of corn and nearly 416,000 bushels of soybeans to another party in 2018. His crop insurance records for that year indicated that only 340,476 bushels of corn and 190,171 bushels of soybeans were produced.

Additionally, McBee falsified information he provided to his insurance company about the company’s soybean crop in 2019. At the time, he claimed the soybeans “were the first crop in certain fields when wheat had already been harvested from those fields,” the DOJ states.

The insurance policy allowed coverage on the first crop planted on a piece of land during a given year. His claims allowed McBee to be paid federal crop insurance benefits which he was not authorized to receive.

In 2020, the television personality “provided false information when he obtained crop insurance through NAU Country Insurance in 2020,” according to the DOJ.

McBee also shared false planting dates on crop insurance documents with NAU Country Insurance. His company harvested corn after the last planting date in 2020, which made it ineligible for insurance. Consequently, he received unauthorized federal crop insurance benefits.

The television personality also admitted to committing additional fraud in 2019 and 2020.

Season 1 ofThe McBee Family Dynasty: Real Life Cowboys— which aired on Peacock — offered a glimpse at the operations ofMcBee Farm and Cattleas part ofthe high-stakes world of farming and ranchingin Missouri.

The ranch was “at a crossroads, poised to either soar to billion-dollar success or plunge into financial ruin pending a pivotal decision from a Venture Capital investment firm,” according to an official synopsis.

McBee’s “personal struggles threaten the stability of the family business,” the description continues. “With tensions mounting between Steve and his sons —Joe Millionaire: For Richer or PooreralumSteven Jr.,JesseandCole— after an explosive affair, viewers can expect a rollercoaster ride of ambition and betrayal.”

Steven McBee Jr. on The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys.Paul Andrews/PEACOCK

Paul Andrews/PEACOCK

In October, PEOPLE confirmed the reality series willmove to Bravofor season 2 in 2025. Episodes will then appear on Peacock the next day.

McBee is not expected to be part of the show’s second season amid his legal troubles.

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Season 1 ofThe McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboysis currently available to stream on Peacock.

source: people.com