In Aiken County, South Carolina, a man faces multiple charges related to the theft of numerous tractor-trailer loads of feed corn. The thefts occurred across Lexington, Orangeburg, and Calhoun counties, with Brandon Lamar “Grunt” Hoffman of Wagner, South Carolina, surrendering to authorities in Calhoun County on Monday.
According to the Lexington Ledger, both Lexington and Orangeburg counties are conducting investigations into similar incidents that they say involved Hoffman within their jurisdictions, potentially leading to additional charges.
Hoffman is accused of pilfering a total of 19 tractor-trailer loads of feed corn valued at approximately $120,000. A judge in Calhoun County released Hoffman on his own recognizance, awaiting further developments.
Thomas Russell Sharpe, owner of Sharpe’s Farm LLC, was the victim of the suspected thefts, which happened in 2023. Sharpe farms over 1,800 acres across the three affected counties and initially contracted Hoffman to cut and haul corn.
Suspicions arose when Sharpe said he discovered corn being taken directly from his fields in Lexington County. Sharpe told authorities that he found Hoffman using his equipment to sell the stolen corn to buyers, including a poultry feed processor.
Hoffman has been charged in Calhoun County with three counts of breach of trust with fraudulent intent, each involving sums exceeding $2,000 but not surpassing $10,000.
These felony charges carry a potential sentence of up to five years in prison for each count. Considering that all three counties could bring similar charges against him for the 19 loads that had been stolen from Sharpe, that would mean a potential cumulative sentence of 95 years in a state penitentiary upon conviction.
News sources indicate that in late 2011, Hoffman faced over 20 charges related to financial crimes involving stolen checks from a business in Swansea, amounting to an initial loss of about $50,000.
Hoffman avoided jail time in that case through a compromise that required him to pay restitution.