A Kansas man accused of masterminding a scheme to rob Montana and Wyoming ranchers trying to find hay to feed their cattle during a drought pleaded guilty July 18 to fraud, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The suspect, Jory D. Parks, 43, of Logan, Kansas, was indicted and pleaded guilty to a charge of wire fraud. Parks faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. A sentencing date will be set by U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. The court will determine a possible sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Parks was released pending further proceedings.

Hay shortage 2021

In court documents, the government alleged that a drought in the summer of 2021 caused a hay shortage for ranchers in Montana and Wyoming, and that ranchers were struggling to find enough hay to feed their cattle. During this time, Parks deliberately devised a scheme to defraud these ranchers.

Parks advertised on Facebook, claiming to sell large quantities of hay and to be willing to deliver from out of state to Montana and Wyoming. Operating as Heart Cross Ranch, LLC, Parks received money from customers in exchange for promises to deliver hay. Instead, Parks used the money for unrelated business and personal expenses and made false promises about what he would deliver and the size and success of his business.

In September 2021, while trying to convince a potential customer that he had a successful business selling high-quality hay, Parks told the victim that he had sold all of his hay the previous year to a well-known horse racing track in Nebraska to feed racehorses. After interviewing the facility’s CEO and reviewing Parks’ finances, the FBI determined that Parks’ statements were false.

Respond to Facebook Ad

In Montana, a couple’s ranching business in Ingomar responded to one of Parks’ Facebook ads claiming to be selling hay for less than they could find. The couple signed a contract with Parks to purchase 190 tons of hay from Parks for $43,300 and sent half of the amount, $21,650, as a down payment to Heart Cross Ranch. Parks deposited the check into his business account at a bank in Colorado.

Three weeks later, Parks delivered the first shipment of 23 tons of the 190 tons the couple had purchased, but he never delivered the additional hay and failed to refund the remaining down payment.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.