FRESNO, California — Shawn Sawa, a 49-year-old formerly of Clovis, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for his involvement in a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme involving canola theft, according to U.S. Attorney Eric Grant. U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston handed down the sentence.
From 2015 to 2017, Sawa and co-defendant Richard Best stole $4.8 million worth of canola from international food processors, as stated in court documents. The stolen canola was sold for profit through Best’s now-defunct company, Richard Best Transfer Inc. (RBT), a transloading firm that transferred commodities between transportation modes. Sawa, who was the Fresno area manager for one of the victim food processors, initially received kickbacks from Best to increase canola supply to RBT before the scheme began.
The stolen canola was sold through a Texas acquaintance in the livestock-feed industry, with proceeds distributed according to Best’s instructions, including wire transfers to Sawa, Best, and RBT’s bank accounts. Sawa used an account in his spouse’s name to conceal the scheme. Sawa and Best also sent fraudulent inventory reports to victim food processors, falsely representing canola stock levels…