By Trish Svoboda

On April 24, a man from Kansas made his first appearance in front of a federal judge after being indicted for swindling his accounting firm’s clients. Court records reveal that Quintin Flanagin, a 43-year-old resident of Colby, faces charges that include seven instances of wire fraud, four instances of bank fraud, two instances of making false statements, and six instances of money laundering.

Flanagin, who is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), holds partial ownership in the accounting firm known as Williams Consulting. The proprietors of Diamond M. Farms, located in Thomas County, engaged the firm’s services for CPA-related tasks. Flanagin was responsible for signing on behalf of Diamond M Farms’ bank accounts and managing payroll.

Flanagin established a fake business named Middle Finger Ranch and linked this company name to his personal bank account. It is alleged that from December 2021 to August 2022, the defendant issued several checks and executed wire transfers amounting to roughly $409,710. These transactions were made from Diamond M. Farms to Middle Finger Ranch, allegedly as payments for farming activities.

In 2021, Flanagin engaged the services of a construction firm for the creation of his new house. The financial records show that he compensated the builder using funds from the Middle Finger Ranch bank account, shortly after the money was moved from Diamond M. Farms.

The defendant made his first appearance in court in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Gwynne E. Birzer from the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas.

The case is currently under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katie Andrusak.