Federal Jury Delivers Unanimous Fraud and Money Laundering Convictions
A federal jury in Fort Worth convicted brothers Joshua Robert Link and Jason Allen Link of orchestrating a 240 million dollar fraudulent cattle investment and embezzlement scheme, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas announced on November 11, 2026. Following a six-day criminal trial before U.S. District Judge Mark T. Pittman, jurors returned unanimous guilty verdicts on wire fraud conspiracy, substantive wire fraud, and federal money laundering. The Ponzi operation deceived over 2,200 victims across the United States through Fort Worth-based Agridime LLC.
The conviction capped a multi-agency investigation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General. According to courtroom reports published by the Associated Press and the Dallas Morning News United States Attorney Ryan Raybould said the defendants sold contracts for cattle that did not exist and called the 240 million dollar scheme a calculated Ponzi enterprise.
Trial records established that Joshua Link, Agridime’s co-founder and executive director, was convicted of two counts each of wire fraud conspiracy, substantive wire fraud, and money laundering; Jason Link, owner of Shady Brook Ranch LLC and director of Agridime’s livestock supply chain, was convicted of one wire fraud conspiracy count, two wire fraud counts, and two money laundering counts. From 2021, the defendants marketed unregistered cattle investment contracts across trade conventions and digital portals, promising guaranteed annual returns of 10 percent within months; forensic audits proved Agridime sold cattle exceeding feedlot inventories and used new participants’ capital to pay earlier investors.
Federal sentencing guidelines indicate each wire fraud conviction carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years and each money laundering violation up to 10 years; Judge Pittman scheduled formal sentencing hearings for early 2027.
