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A forensic accountant testified Thursday that a group of Lonoke County farmers lost $5,491,888 in 2014 with the closing of a Brinkley grain dealer, reports the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
The nearly $5.5 million represents some 832,700 bushels of rice taken from their farms and delivered for export but for which they never received payment, said Stephen Leek, a certified public accountant.
Leek's testimony came during the fifth day of the jury trial of a civil lawsuit filed by the farmers against entities of Turner Grain Merchandising Inc., which filed for bankruptcy in 2014.