Shawn Sawa, formerly of Clovis, California, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for his role in a fraud scheme that stole millions of dollars’ worth of canola. U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced that the canola, stolen from international food processors, was intended to be used for livestock feed. A Department of Justice news release said that from 2015 to 2017, Sawa and co-defendant Richard Best stole $4.8 million worth of canola from international food processors, and then sold the grain for a windfall. The two carried out the scheme through Best’s now-defunct train-to-truck transloading company, Richard Best Transfer, Inc. A transloading company transfers commodities from one mode of transportation to another mode. The victim food processors sent hundreds of thousands of tons of their canola to RBT for delivery to their customers. Best pleaded guilty in October and faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years and a fine of $250,000.
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