Court records: Decorah farmer steals nearly 25 semis of grain

A Decorah farmer is accused of stealing enough corn and soybeans to fill nearly 25 semi-trailer trucks, worth over an estimated $175,000, and shielding the income from an ongoing bankruptcy case, Winneshiek County authorities say.

Kurt Krauskopf, 47, turned himself in Monday to the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office after an arrest warrant was issued. He later was released without posting bond, court records show. He faces a count of ongoing criminal conduct, a Class B felony; two counts of first-degree theft, both Class C felonies; and a count of second-degree theft, a Class D felony.

The case stems from last year’s harvest. Earlier this year, the owner of K&B Farms reported to the Sheriff’s Office that it had a partnership with Krauskopf to chop corn and soybeans at its Winneshiek County operation but he had taken large amounts of grain without permission.

Investigators searched records from Krauskopf’s combine, executed a search warrant Oct. 30 at his property and analyzed sales records to determine that he sold far more corn and soybeans harvested from K&B than he had claimed to the owner.

Federal court records show that in 2021, Krauskopf filed for Chapter 12 bankruptcy. That section of the bankruptcy code allows family farmers to come up with a plan to repay all or part of the debt they owe. In his petition, Krauskopf reported he had nearly $971,000 in assets but over $3.7 million in liabilities, and that several pieces of farm equipment already had been sold or repossessed.

The Winneshiek County investigation concluded income earned from the illegal grain sales was kept from the repayment plan approved by the bankruptcy court.

“The investigation determined that Kurt Krauskopf knowingly excluded income from grain sales when filing his monthly profit and loss statements with the Federal Bankruptcy Court, indicating that he knew the additional grain he sold did not belong to him,” a criminal complaint states. “Secretly and without permission, Kurt Patrick Krauskopf took corn and soybeans from grain bins and transported them to grain elevators for sale.”

Investigators concluded that Krauskopf stole about 19.73 semi loads of corn and 4.5 semi loads of soybeans. “Together, the corn and soybeans yielded over an estimated $175,000 in profits from stolen grain,” a criminal complaint states. “The investigation showed statements of deposited checks from when Kurt Krauskopf received the funds from the stolen grain.”

The arrest warrant said the charges carried a $50,000 bond, but at Krauskopf’s first court appearance on the charges, a judge allowed him to sign an appearance bond saying he would be present for future court hearings.