Ranchers indicted on fraud charges

A group of ranchers are accused by federal prosecutors of falsely claiming that more than 500 head of cattle they owned on Bolivar Peninsula were washed away three years ago by Hurricane Rita. In an indictment unsealed Wednesday, the six members of the High Island Cattle Association and another rancher were accused of supporting each others’ claims of cattle losses in affidavits that the U.S. Attorney’s Office said were false. The ranchers sought federal money to cover their losses through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Livestock Indemnity Program. Prosecutors allege the cattle claimed to have been swept into the Gulf of Mexico or to have drowned never existed. None of those indicted actually live on the peninsula...DailyNews