John R. Coleman, the former CEO of Express Grain Terminals, LLC, has been jailed for his role in a multimillion-dollar fraud operation that put hundreds of Mississippi farmers in financial disaster.
Attorney General Lynn Fitch said that Leflore County Circuit Court Judge Margaret Carey-McCray sentenced Coleman to 15 years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) prison. The first ten years of his state term will run concurrently with his federal sentence, and he has been ordered to pay $750,000 in reparations to the state.
“The fraudulent actions of this defendant cost many Mississippi farmers their livelihood,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “I am proud of our work with federal and state partners to investigate and prosecute these crimes. My office is committed to providing justice to the hardworking farm families that were the victims here, and we will continue to hold those who defraud Mississippi and the Mississippi people accountable.”
Coleman operated Express Grain, a grain elevator in Greenwood that bought, processed, and stored grain from area farmers. Investigators discovered that he falsified financial statements to acquire a state warehouse license, misrepresented his company’s financial health, and lied about bills owed on stored grain. His dishonest acts led farmers to believe Express Grain was stable, even as the company was on the verge of bankruptcy.
The corporation ultimately declared bankruptcy in 2021, inflicting considerable financial hardship on farmers in the Mississippi Delta.
In February 2025, United States District Judge Michael P. Mills sentenced Coleman to ten years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay 152 victims $69,841,797 in restitution.
Coleman’s state 15-year sentence will run concurrently with his federal sentence for the first ten years, resulting in a total of at least 15 years in jail.
The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office collaborated with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations Division to bring Coleman to justice.
This case highlights the serious implications of financial fraud, especially when it affects the lives of hardworking Mississippians. Authorities have underlined their commitment to holding people accountable for scamming farms, companies, and the government.