The numbers seemed fishy. Weather experts in Colorado and Kansas couldn't figure out why rain gauges in far-flung locations kept reporting almost no precipitation even on stormy days throughout 2016 and 2017. But as the Colorado Sun reports, the reason soon became clear enough. Two local farmers orchestrated a scheme in which they (or associates) tampered with the gauges to manipulate rainfall data and reap millions of dollars in farm insurance payouts for a drought that didn't exist. Patrick Esch, 73, and Ed Dean Jagers, 62, eventually pleaded guilty after investigators with the FBI and the USDA helped meteorologists crack the case. Esch served two months in federal prison earlier this year, and Jagers served six months after their plea deals, and they were ordered to pay more than $6 million to settle their bogus claims.
"It was shocking to me," says Jennifer Stark, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service's office in Boulder. "We take great pride in delivering objective, quality-controlled precipitation data to the public, to researchers, to climatologists. Personally, I just never thought that individuals would seek to damage that record." The investigation uncovered some relatively low-tech methods to achieve that end, including covering the gauges with cake pans or cutting wires. Complicating the case was a farmhand named Mark Fox, who investigators say played roles of co-conspirator, then blackmailer, and then whistleblower. Read the full story by investigative reporter Michael Booth. (Or check out other Longform recaps.)
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