Roxanne 
Steve McBee Sr. is not going quietly.
The McBee Dynasty star, known for running one of the most ambitious farming operations in the Midwest and for raising four sons with a fierce work ethic, is preparing to begin a two-year prison sentence, but he’s making it clear he believes the legal battle against him was never fair to begin with.
In a new interview with Fox News Digital, the 52-year-old reality star opened up about the moment he learned he would be serving time for a crop-insurance-related charge, describing it as “a sobering moment.” But even with sentencing looming, Steve insists he did not set out to deceive anyone — and that the government’s approach backed him into a corner.
Steve Says the Government Forced His Hand
According to Steve, he initially wasn’t worried when federal investigators started digging into his farming business.
He said he “really wasn’t overly concerned,” explaining that in his 33 years as a business owner he had “gone through every audit under the sun.” He assumed this was the same — another deep dive that would wrap up quickly once they saw the paperwork. As he put it, “it’ll go away like the rest of them.”
But when he met with officials, he says the tone changed entirely.
“I went down there and the government basically just gave us kind of a BAFO – best and final offer,” he recalled. “We have 48 hours.” Steve said the tactic was “their bullying technique, kind of the poker game here.”
According to him, the government told him that he could plead guilty to one count of giving a fraudulent statement — or they would move forward by charging one of his employees with 27 federal indictments in just two days.
He called the threat a “bullying technique,” adding that he and the employees involved “had nothing to do with it.” But Steve, as the owner, said he felt responsible: “I made the decision the buck stops with me.”
That decision resulted in a sentence of two years in federal prison in South Dakota, two additional years of supervised release after that, and over $4 million in restitution. Before the plea deal, he was facing up to 30 years.
Steve Says His Reputation Was “Destroyed” Over a Planting Date
Even with the conviction, Steve wants people to understand what actually happened.
“I wanna make absolute, with absolute clarity, that people understand, there’s no money missing,” he said. He explained that in 2020 alone, his team farmed 44,000 acres across three states — 923 fields total — and underwent the standard series of audits: post-planting, pre-harvest, and post-harvest. “They know what grain we have. They’ve been all over every field.”
The issue, he says, came down to a planting date.
“They found a plant date that was half wrong,” Steve explained. “We were there on May 20. We planted half the field. We didn’t go back till like June 19.” The ruling, according to him, voided the entire crop insurance. “I mean, I’m like, this can’t be real. That’s day-to-day common business.”
But the fallout went far beyond money.
Steve said his reputation was “destroyed,” with people assuming he built his success by cheating the system rather than through “33 years of working seven days a week.” The fallout forced major downsizing — 75 people lost their jobs — and put strain on his other companies and banking relationships.
“I Raised Four Lions, Not Four Sheep”
Despite the chaos, Steve says the one thing holding strong is his family.
He shared that they “have never been closer,” adding that he isn’t worried about his sons because he knows he “raised four lions, not four sheep.”
And even though he’s heading to prison, he refuses to see himself as a victim.
He said he will “never let somebody make me a victim” and promised he “will come out stronger and more ready to go than ever.”
He also described the kind of man he believes he is, saying, “Steve McBee holds the door open for every young and old person… I stop and change tires on the side of the highway. That’s who Steve McBee is.” He added, “I’m not stabbing somebody at a gas pump after I’ve been arrested 100 times and let back out on the streets. But I’m the one going to prison. Life ain’t fair sometimes, for no reason at all.”
He wants farmers across America to pay attention, warning, “other farmers need to know they can get you any time they want.”
Letting the Cameras Roll
With prison approaching, Steve says he’s spending as much time as possible celebrating birthdays, holidays, and milestones he’ll miss — and fans will see it all play out in the next season of McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys.
“One thing that we said when we were making the show with Bravo and NBC Universal was that we want to keep it real,” he said. “We want to be very transparent and open with our lives… people can read through the BS.”
He explained that allowing cameras to document this chapter was a “family decision,” adding, “It’s happening regardless. It’s part of our lives.”
