OCALA, Florida — Chason Reed Peck, a 37-year-old from Palm City, has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering, according to United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. Peck could face up to 20 years in federal prison for the wire fraud charge and up to 10 years for each money laundering count.
As part of his guilty plea, Peck has agreed to forfeit $300,000, which are funds traceable as proceeds of the offenses. A sentencing date has not yet been set. According to the plea agreement, Peck applied for business financing from Deere & Company, known as John Deere, on February 3, 2017. On February 16, 2020, he applied for a $300,000 total credit limit on his John Deere credit, submitting a handwritten financial application through an agricultural store representative in Ocala. The application contained false information, including overstated assets, claiming $3 million in cash assets and 1,500 acres of farming land. In reality, Peck’s cash assets were approximately $6,000, and he was farming about 60 acres…