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Steven McBee says his family was “targeted” by federal prosecutors and is now seeking a presidential pardon for his father Steve McBee Sr., calling the case a “trophy prosecution at the highest level.”
Questions surrounding a possible pardon — and whether it’s legitimate — have followed the family publicly.
“It’s a legitimate thing,” McBee said on the “Like a Farmer” podcast. “There are obviously a lot of steps involved in asking for a pardon. He’s getting all the documentation together.”
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He further explained, “There’s quite a process to get all the paperwork ready to go, and then you publicly spread awareness about what you’re trying to do — the situation at hand — and what he’s going through, and what our farm has gone through, which was a targeted attack on a family farm. It was a trophy prosecution.”
McBee’s father was sentenced to two years in federal prison for his involvement in a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme involving crop insurance. He is currently serving time at the Federal Prison Camp in Yankton, South Dakota.
In addition to prison time, he was ordered to two years of supervised release and must pay $4,022,124 in restitution to the USDA Risk Management Agency.
McBee continued to share details about the pardoning process on the podcast, saying navigating the steps has been complex but necessary.
“So, you try to bring awareness to it, and you try to get it into the hands of the right people who are connected … You just network your way through the political spectrum and try to work your way on up to the right people to hear it,” he explained. “And it’s still tough. I mean, we’re still going through that, and we aren’t hiding any of it.”
His comments come after McBee Sr. previously shared with Fox News Digital his reaction when he initially learned he was facing time in prison, calling it “a sobering moment.”
When the investigation first began, he said he “really wasn’t overly concerned,” explaining that after more than 33 years as a business owner, he had “gone through every audit under the sun.” He assumed it was routine and believed that once the requested information was provided, “it’ll go away like the rest of them.”
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However, that changed after meeting with his attorney.
Meanwhile, the reality of federal prison has been difficult — but McBee said his father’s mindset hasn’t wavered. “Do you talk to him?” he was asked during the podcast.
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“Oh yeah. Yeah. We get to email once a day, and I’ve talked to him on the phone once since he’s gone in,” McBee said. “He is the most optimistic, positive person I’ve ever met in my life. Love him to death. Supporting him every step of the way.”
McBee Sr. shares four adult sons — Steven Jr., Jesse, Cole and Brayden — with his ex-wife, Kristi.