GREENWOOD, Miss.–A man convicted of defrauding more than 400 Delta farmers with his business Express Grain, which went bankrupt in 2021, has been sentenced to serve 15 years in state prison, in addition to the 10 years he was ordered to serve in federal prison.
The sentence was handed down Wednesday in Leflore County, where Express Grain operated under the leadership of John R. Coleman.
Coleman misrepresented the financial health of his company to farmers, who had their grain stored and processed there.
He has also been ordered to pay $750,000 in restitution to the state. In his federal case he has been ordered to pay back more than $69 million to the victims who suffered because of his actions.
