Debarment was proposed because a USDA Office of Inspector General
(OIG) investigation revealed that WOLF, along with ADAM OLSON
(OLSON), engaged in a scheme from 2014 to 2020 in which he falsely
represented, marketed, and insured conventionally grown crops as
organic. WOLF also admitted to purchasing conventional grain from
third parties and reselling it as organic to grain buyers from 2013 to
2021. The Government found that WOLF personally profited $19.7M
as a result of these frauds. In January 2023, WOLF was charged with wire fraud and conspiracy
to commit wire fraud in federal court. On January 11, 2023, a federal
grand jury returned a superseding indictment that charged WOLF and
OLSON each with three counts of wire fraud and one count of
conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with the USDA-AMS
National Organic Program (NOP). In May 2023, WOLF pleaded guilty to wire fraud. In January 2024, the
United States District Court for the District of Minnesota adjudicated
WOLF’s guilty of wire fraud and WOLF was sentenced to 36 months
imprisonment (beginning on February 20, 2024), with two years of
supervised release (sentencing calculated to be completed on or around
February 20, 2029), and ordered to pay a $19.7M money judgment. For further information contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agency Exclusions POC.
Restriction and scope
Applies across federal procurement and nonprocurement programs, subject to the issuing agency’s record and applicable exceptions.
What is an exclusion?
An exclusion is a federal restriction on a business or individual participating in certain government contracts or assistance programs. Records can include suspensions, debarments and other restrictions.
Use these records to check potential vendors and partners. Restrictions vary: review the status, dates and scope in SAM.gov, and confirm any potential match with the issuing agency. An inactive record does not by itself mean a current restriction.
