For Immediate Release

November 26, 2008

CARLYLE MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO FRAUD OFFENSES

A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on November 26, 2008, JOSEPH DIEKEMPER, 60, of 611 Wayne Street, Carlyle, Illinois, entered a plea of guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Commit Bankruptcy Fraud, one count of Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, one count of False Statement to United States Department of Agriculture Commodity Credit Corporation, and one count of Perjury. The offenses occurred in Clinton County, Illinois.

The offenses of Conspiracy to Commit Bankruptcy Fraud, False Statement to the United States Department of Agriculture Commodity Credit Corporation, and Perjury, carry a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment or a fine of $250,000, or both and three years of supervised release. The offense of Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud carries a maximum sentence of twenty years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and up to five years supervised release.

JOSEPH DIEKEMPER's sentencing is currently scheduled for March 9, 2009.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the United States Department of Agriculture conducted the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Hudson, Norman Smith, and Kevin Burke.