The owners of two Immokalee-based agriculture businesses were sentenced to 24 months in federal prison on Monday, followed by two years of supervised release, according to a spokesperson with the United States Attorney's Office Middle District of Florida.
In January, WINK Investigates first told you about Jacinto Luna, owner of L-D Harvesting, and Marcelino Deleon, owner of South Flo Harvesting, after they pleaded guilty to defrauding the federal government out of millions of dollars.
Specifically, DeLeon and Luna were convicted of wire fraud and money laundering.
The two are accused of creating fake invoices to submit with applications to the Department of Agriculture's [USDA] 'Farm Service Agency' through its 'Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.' [CFAP], which awarded money to livestock and agricultural producers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A spokesperson with the prosecutor's office told WINK Investigates in an email that DeLeon has paid $2,103,420.22 in restitution to the federal government, while Luna has paid $1,988,433.92.