By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
A 28-year-old northwest Missouri man has been sentenced to 32 years in federal prison for a $215,000 cattle fraud scheme he tried to cover up by killing two Wisconsin brothers.
The Western District U.S. Attorney’s Office reports Garland Joseph “Joey” Nelson of Braymer was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips, who also ordered Nelson to pay $260,925 in restitution to his victims.
Nelson pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm late last year, admitting that he defrauded a Shawano County, Wisconsin company, Diemel’s Livestock of $215,000 in a cattle contract.
Nelson is serving two life sentences for murdering the two principals of the company, brothers Nicholas and Justin Diemel. Nelson had reached an agreement with the Diemels in late 2018 to raise their cattle, sell them, and return the proceeds.
Things went wrong almost immediately. Nelson failed to care for the cattle. Many died. Nelson didn’t forward any money, until when pressed, he sent a $216,000 rubber check.
The Diemel brothers arrived at Nelson’s farm in Braymer July 17th of 2019, demanding payment. Nelson killed the two and though he attempted to dispose of their bodies, investigators discovered their remains.
Nelson had been convicted before of cattle fraud schemes, one in Kansas, one in northwest Missouri.
Nelson pleaded guilty on September 30th of last year to two counts of murder in the first degree in Johnson County, Missouri and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole on each count to run consecutively.