A Canadian man facing fraud allegations out of Alberta is also being accused by Montana officials of running a multimillion-dollar scam involving the non-delivery of hay.
Scott James Piggott of Lethbridge, Alberta, will go to trial on May 1, 2023, in Lethbridge on two charges of theft over $5,000 and one count of fraud over $5,000.
Piggott also faces similar charges in Drumheller and Taber, but those trial dates have not yet been set.
According to the Lethbridge Herald, a Taber, Alberta, business fell victim to a scam between March and July 2013 in which hay was obtained, but no money was paid. Taber police reviewed information from several companies in Canada and the U.S. during the investigation and said the fraud totaled more than $800,000.
Piggott was ordered to stand trial following a preliminary hearing in January 2017, but the trial in 2019 was canceled after he elected to be tried by a judge alone. Another trial was canceled as well due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In April, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen warned ranchers of a scam taking up to $5 million for hay without actually delivering any feed. New Way Ag promised grain hay, barley straw and wheat straw at low prices to quickly make sales, collect payments and never deliver any product to their victims.
“One of the differences in this is that he (allegedly) went through lengths to look like a legitimate company with a professional-looking website, newspaper ads, that sort of thing,” said Kyler Nerison, communications director for the Montana Department of Justice.
Nerison added it was upsetting that the ad stated “We are here to help livestock producers afford to keep their herds!”
In an ad provided to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), New Way Ag stated it produces 250,000 bales a year and has over 3,000 loads available for between $145 and $225 per ton delivered in and around the Billings and Havre, MT, area.
CBC conducted a corporate registration search of New Way Ag and found the company was operated out of Okotoks, Alberta, and is registered under a woman’s name. According to CBC, a source close to the investigation says the woman is a family member of Piggott.
Nerison said one rancher lost $100,000 and has received numerous calls from other people who claim to have had the same experience since the warning was issued. Nerison said New Way Ag is still under investigation, and he will be monitoring what happens after the trial. — Charles Wallace, WLJ editor
