FORT WORTH, Texas – A Missouri man on the FBI’s “Most Wanted” fugitives list and four others are accused of orchestrating a $220 million nationwide cattle fraud scheme.
On Thursday, the United States Attorney’s Office in Northern Texas charged Joshua Link, 32, of Strafford, Missouri, with more than a dozen federal offenses, including ten counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and two counts of money laundering.
As of Saturday, the FBI lists Link among its 41 “most wanted” fugitives.
A federal indictment alleges that Link and four others collected more than $200 million from over 2,200 victims from January 2021 to December 2023.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the five accused individuals were all associated with Agridime LLC, a business headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas that offered cattle sales, meat processing and retail services to the public. Link reportedly served as an executive director.
The indictment alleges that the five individuals perpetrated an elaborate scheme targeting cattle purchasers, cattle ranchers, and feedlots. They falsely claimed that Agridime would use their funds to purchase specific individual cattle for each victim, raise the cattle, and eventually sell the meat from the same specific individual cattle for a profit.
In reality, as the indictment alleges, the group did not use victims’ funds as promised and instead used newer cattle purchaser funds to pay Agridime operating expenses and funds owed by Agridime to earlier cattle purchasers. Prosecutors say they also used the money on personal expenses and to purchase real property.
“The defendants allegedly used false promises to lure prospective clients into their scheme and then misappropriated client funds to enrich themselves,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock.
“Thousands of unwitting investors, ranchers, and others in the cattle industry nationwide were drawn in and victimized by the defendants’ multi-million dollar scheme alleged in this indictment,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “My office, in concert with our law enforcement partners, will hold these defendants accountable and pursue justice on behalf of the victims.”
Link is accused of wiring more than $527,000 to purchase real property, according to the indictment.
The indictment also accuses the following individuals:
- Tia Link, of Smithton, Missouri, charged with three counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of money laundering.
- Taylor Bang, of Kildeer, North Dakota, charged with eight counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of money laundering.
- Royana Thomas, of Arlington, Texas, charged with six counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of money laundering.
- Jed Wood, or Fort Worth, Texas, charged with three counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The indictment did not immediately disclose any potential relationship between Joshua Link and Tia Link.
If convicted, the suspects could each face up to 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud charge, 20 years for each wire fraud conspiracy charge and up to 10 years for each money laundering charge.
Among the five accused, only Joshua Link remains a fugitive, according to federal officials.
The FBI is asking for the public’s help with any information regarding Link’s location. Anyone with relevant information on his whereabouts is urged to contact the nearest local FBI office or submit a tip online.
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