Man Charged With Fraud, Theft Of 4 Million Pounds Of Citrus

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WINTER HAVEN (CBSMiami/AP) — A Florida man is accused of illegally obtaining more than 4 million pounds of citrus that are valued at half a million dollars.

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said in a news release Friday that Bradley Reiter of Winter Haven entered into three contracts to harvest local citrus groves in March 2014.

In the following months, Reiter, who, as it turns out, was not a licensed citrus dealer, went in and harvested oranges and grapefruit from the groves.

State officials said Reiter hauled off a harvest of nearly 50,000 boxes full of fruit, valued at $533,000 and didn't pay for it.

Reiter was booked into the Polk County Jail on fraud and theft charges. It's unclear whether he's retained an attorney.

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