Five people have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Fort Worth, Texas, for their alleged involvement in a $220 million cattle fraud scheme that affected victims across the United States. The announcement was made by United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.
The individuals indicted are Jed Wood of Fort Worth, Texas; Joshua Link of Strafford, Missouri; Tia Link of Smithton, Missouri; Taylor Bang of Kildeer, North Dakota; and Royana Thomas of Arlington, Texas. The charges include multiple counts of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and money laundering. Specific allegations include wiring large sums for personal expenses and property purchases.
Jed Wood is accused of three counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of money laundering related to a $63,000 payment to a lender. Joshua Link faces ten counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and two counts of money laundering involving over $527,000 used for real estate. Tia Link is charged with similar offenses connected to the same amount. Taylor Bang faces eight counts of wire fraud among other charges, while Royana Thomas is charged with six counts of wire fraud.
According to U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould: “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. My office, in concert with our law enforcement partners, will hold these defendants accountable and pursue justice on behalf of the victims.”
FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock added: “The defendants allegedly used false promises to lure prospective clients into their scheme and then misappropriated client funds to enrich themselves. One individual, Joshua Robert Link, remains a fugitive. We are asking the public to contact the FBI if they have any information regarding Link’s location.” More information about Joshua Robert Link can be found on the FBI’s wanted list at https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/wcc/joshua-robert-link.
All five individuals were associated with Agridime LLC based in Fort Worth. Jed Wood served as Operations Director; Joshua Link as Executive Director; Tia Link as Marketing Director; Taylor Bang as a cattle broker; and Royana Thomas as financial controller.
The indictment claims that from January 2021 through December 2023, Agridime offered contracts promising that investor funds would go toward buying specific cattle for each client. Instead, according to prosecutors, funds from new investors were used to pay operating expenses and obligations owed to earlier investors—behavior characteristic of Ponzi schemes—and also covered personal expenses and property acquisitions.
Prosecutors allege more than $220 million was collected from over 2,200 victims nationwide through these false representations.
If convicted on all counts, each defendant could face up to twenty years in prison per count for wire fraud or conspiracy charges and up to ten years per money laundering charge.
Tia Link and Taylor Bang appeared before a magistrate judge in Fort Worth and were released under pretrial supervision. Jed Wood and Royana Thomas are scheduled for arraignment on February 25. Joshua Robert Link remains at large.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Fort Worth Resident Agency with help from USDA-OIG. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark McDonald is leading prosecution efforts.
Authorities remind the public that an indictment is not evidence of guilt—all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
