USA Network Reality TV Star Facing 30 Years in Prison for Insurance Fraud: Steven McBee Pleads Guilty

Reality television personality Steven McBee has admitted guilt in a multimillion-dollar crop insurance fraud scheme that could result in a three-decade prison sentence. The star of The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty to one count of federal crop insurance fraud in a federal court in Kansas City, Missouri, on November 5, as announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Missouri.

The Department of Justice reports McBee acknowledged engaging in “fraudulent activity from 2018 to 2020 that caused an economic loss to the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” totaling more than $4 million. As the owner of McBee Farming Operations, he confessed to submitting falsified documents to Rain and Hail, a company reinsured by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, the DOJ press release states.

The DOJ revealed that McBee sent “fraudulent documents to Rain and Hail that underreported his total 2018 corn crop by approximately 674,812 bushels and underreported his total 2018 soybean crop by approximately 155,833 bushels.”

These deceptive reports enabled McBee to receive unauthorized benefits totaling $3,158,923, including $2,605,943 in federal crop insurance benefits and $552,980 in premium subsidies, according to court documents. Records show his company sold more than 1.2 million bushels of corn and nearly 416,000 bushels of soybeans to another party in 2018, while insurance documents claimed production of only 340,476 bushels of corn and 190,171 bushels of soybeans.

The fraud continued in subsequent years. In 2019, McBee falsified information about soybean crops, claiming they “were the first crop in certain fields when wheat had already been harvested from those fields,” according to the DOJ. In 2020, he “provided false information when he obtained crop insurance through NAU Country Insurance” and shared incorrect planting dates, making his corn harvest ineligible for coverage as it occurred after the final planting date, the DOJ states.

Under his plea agreement, McBee faces up to 30 years in federal prison without parole. The court will determine the final restitution amount, though he is already required to forfeit $3,158,923, with the government’s total loss calculated at $4,022,123, according to court documents.

The legal troubles come amid McBee’s rising television profile. His series offered viewers an intimate look at McBee Farm and Cattle’s operations in Missouri. According to People, the ranch was “at a crossroads, poised to either soar to billion-dollar success or plunge into financial ruin pending a pivotal decision from a Venture Capital investment firm.”

The show highlighted how McBee’s “personal struggles threaten the stability of the family business,” with “tensions mounting between Steve and his sons — Joe Millionaire: For Richer or Poorer alum Steven Jr., Jesse and Cole — after an explosive affair,” promising viewers “a rollercoaster ride of ambition and betrayal,” the official synopsis states.

While the show is scheduled to move to Bravo for its second season in 2025, with next-day streaming on Peacock, McBee is not expected to be part of the show’s second season amid his legal troubles, according to People.

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled following the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office, the DOJ confirms. Season 1 of The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys remains available for streaming on Peacock.