Cody Easterday is now under home confinement. Easterday is the rancher and farmer who defrauded companies out of more than $244 million of beef cattle and went to federal prison for it.
NWPB host Avery Cooper sits down with NWPB's senior correspondent Anna King for this story.
Avery Cooper: I haven't heard the name Cody Easterday in quite a while. Can you give us some background about who he is and why he was in prison?
Anna King: Yeah. Back in October of 2022, Cody Easterday was sentenced to 11 years in prison after he manufactured 265,000 head of ghost cattle on paper. He was also ordered to pay over $244 million in restitution.
It's one of the largest cattle frauds in the nation's history. Easterday has spent his last couple of years at McKean federal prison in Pennsylvania. That's a medium-security facility with a nearby minimum-security camp. The 55-year-old was transferred to home confinement on Nov. 2, overseen by the Bureau of Prisons' Seattle Residential Reentry Management Office.
During the home confinement, he's set to be under federal supervision. You might have heard more about the case in our podcast Ghost Herd, which goes into more detail about the Easterday case.
Easterday went into prison on December 16, back in 2022, so he missed Christmas back then. Before he was transferred to home confinement earlier this month, he served about three years, 10 months, 17 days in prison.
But he's back in the Columbia Basin in time for Thanksgiving. The Bureau of Prisons shows that Easterday has a projected release date of May 31, 2028. But according to the federal Office of the Pardon Attorney, Easterday has applied for a commutation of sentence. That was current on the last update of Nov. 2, but the website hasn't updated since then. I've got emails in to the federal government requesting more updates and information.
Cooper: What remains of the Easterday empire today?
King: The Easterdays were some of the top royalty of the Columbia Basin. They had a sprawling home, massive farm parcels – one right near the Columbia River – and flew where they wanted to from their own hangar and their own jet airplane.
Easterday's family has continued farming. They mainly grow potatoes and onions. They grow some forage and rotational crops too, like alfalfa and corn. The family also has a dairy in Franklin County. The family farms thousands of acres under the name Triple E Farms. According to the Washington State Department of Revenue, the three Easterday sons — Cole, Clay, and Cutter — are listed as the owners and officers of the company.
Triple E Farms has semitrucks running the highways over here, replacing the old Easterday Farms decals with the same steer head logo. The sons currently own millions of dollars of real estate and farm ground in Franklin County.
Cooper: Has there been any reaction from farmers in the Columbia Basin about this news?
King: The Easterdays were, like I said, some of the royalty of the Columbia Basin. They built an empire that, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Washington, quote: "By 2020 included more than 22,000 acres of farmland, 150 employees, revenues over $250 million, and even a private plane and hangar."
But Easterday Farms, Inc. and Easterday Ranches both declared bankruptcy shortly after the fraud was uncovered. Through the bankruptcy proceedings, the victim companies were able to recover approximately $65 million, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Washington.
There were more than $25 million for just the lawyers and professional fees involved in the case, Avery.
Now, a lot of that farm ground and business has been lost, but there is still a lot that has stayed in the family.
I called Tyson Fresh Meats today for any reaction and left voicemails.
I called another company also bilked in the case, Segale Properties out of Tukwila, and left a message for Mark Segale, one of the owners.
I called Cody Easterday's cell phone this morning. I want to hear his story, too.
Some in the Columbia Basin that I've talked to can't believe he's home this early.
Others wish him and his family well.
There's a lot to catch up on in business and life for Cody Easterday.
A Columbia Basin farmer told me just a day ago, "Some are asking how somebody could steal that much money and be out so quickly." That's a direct quote.
Ultimately, after creating a Northwest farming empire, Easterday is coming home to a smaller operation, a fraction of what it used to be, run by his three sons.
Cooper: That is NWPB senior correspondent Anna King. Thank you so much, Anna.
King: You're welcome.
Cooper: To learn more about the Cody Easterday case, visit ghostherd.org.
