Federal Jury Finds Quincy Farmer Guilty of Mail Fraud

A federal jury in Springfield, Illinois took less than two hours late Tuesday to return guilty verdicts against a Quincy farmer on insurance fraud charges.

53 year old Dale Mowen was found guilty of mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud.

Mowen is alleged to have conspired with 68 year old David Speer of Quincy to defraud Mowen’s insurance company.

The two allegedly traveled out of state in 2015 to purchase a tractor and a combine for $30,000, then insured the equipment for $108,000.

Speer then set fire to the equipment and Mowen turned in a loss of $108,000 to his insurance company, producing false receipts to verify the higher cost of the equipment.

Speer pleaded guilty last August to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and, in a separate case, pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of stolen property.

Speer will be sentenced February 27th. Mowen’s sentencing is scheduled for May 22nd.