Man sentenced for scheme to steal $4.8 million in livestock feed ingredients using train-to-truck transloading company

A California judge sentenced a man to prison for his role in stealing millions of dollars worth of product from food processors through a fraud scheme involving a transloading company.

Shawn Sawa, 49, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.

Officials say that between 2015 and 2017, Sawa and co-defendant Richard Best stole $4.8 million worth of canola, used to make livestock feed, from international food processors. The stolen product was then sold for a windfall.

Sawa worked as a manager for one of the Fresno-area victim food processors.

To carry out the scheme, Sawa and Best utilized Best’s now defunct train-to-truck transloading company, Richard Best Transfer Inc. (RBT) to target victim food processors that sent hundreds of thousands of tons of their canola to RBT for delivery to their customers.

“Throughout the scheme, Sawa and Best caused RBT to email fraudulent inventory reports to the victim food processors representing that RBT had certain amounts of their canola in-stock when, in fact, RBT had significantly lesser amounts. Sawa and Best used the proceeds from the scheme to purchase luxury homes and multiple vehicles, take trips, hire private karate teachers, and cover RBT’s operating expenses, among other expenses,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

The stolen canola was sold to farms and dairies through an acquaintance in Texas who used to work in the livestock-feed industry.

Proceeds from the scheme were distributed using wire transfers to Sawa, Best, and RBT’s bank accounts. Officials say that the account that Sawa used was opened in his spouse’s name to try to conceal the scheme.

Sawa initially received kickback payments from Best to try to increase the supply of canola that RBT received from that food processor before they began their scheme, according to officials

Best pleaded guilty on October 14, 2025, and faces sentencing on March 2, 2026. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.