A fairly new reality TV show, The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys, has been picked up for a second season — but “patriarch” Steven McBee now faces significant jail time after entering a guilty plea in federal court.
The McBee Dynasty flew under the radar of many fans of the reality genre, initially debuting on the streaming app Peacock last March:
In February, Peacock shared the trailer embedded above, along with a synopsis introducing the show.
That description alluded to plotlines involving financial difficulties faced by McBee Farm and Cattle, and it began:
“The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys, a thrilling new docuseries, takes viewers behind the scenes of the high-stakes world of farming and ranching in rural Missouri. McBee Farm and Cattle is on the brink of becoming a billion-dollar business … or a financial disaster. It all depends on the decision [of] a venture capital firm of over $100 million.”
In the next sentence, Peacock’s synopsis specifically mentions patriarch Steve McBee’s role in the McBee Farm’s existential crises:
“Steve McBee, the patriarch of the family and recent divorcee, started McBee Farm and Cattle, but his lifestyle may be its undoing … Will the farm survive? If it does, who will be leading it into the future?”
The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys seems to have slowly developed an audience, and on October 18, Bravo announced that the show was “riding on over” to that network for a second season.
Yet again, the looming prospect of “financial ruin” was a central theme heading into Season 2:
“Based in Gallatin, Missouri, The McBee Dynasty immerses viewers in the ongoing saga of the McBee family as they strive to rescue their farm and cattle ranch from financial ruin.”
Bravo – which itself has recently been no stranger to courtrooms due to a civil suit – made no mention of any legal troubles facing Steve McBee, but a few weeks later, the Department Of Justice (DOJ) did.
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Steve McBee Entered A Guilty Plea
On November 18 and 19, entertainment news sites began reporting that Steve McBee pled guilty to charges of crop insurance fraud, but the DOJ issued a press release announcing the plea on November 5.
That press release, “Gallatin Farmer Pleads Guilty to Multi-million Dollar Crop Insurance Fraud,” was initially easy to miss — but a less-visible subheading read: “Reality TV Star Steve McBee Provided False Information for Crop Insurance Benefits.”
The DOJ’s press release originated in the Western District of Missouri, and it was published on the day Steve entered his plea.
Noting that the plea pertained to one felony count of federal crop insurance fraud, it began:
“KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Gallatin, Mo., man whose family farming operation is the setting of a reality TV show pleaded guilty in federal court today to a multi-million dollar fraud scheme involving federal crop insurance benefits he was not entitled to receive.
“Steve A. McBee, 52, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to a federal information that charges him with one count of federal crop insurance fraud. McBee, the owner of McBee Farming Operations, stars in the reality TV series ‘The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys’ streaming on Peacock.”
The DOJ apparently did not get the memo about The McBee Dynasty’s move from Peacock to Bravo, but their press release was not necessarily intended to promote the show.
Steve entered into what is known as a “plea bargain” or “plea arrangement,” which the DOJ explains on their website as follows:
“When the Government has a strong case, the Government may offer the defendant a plea deal to avoid trial and perhaps reduce his exposure to a more lengthy sentence.”
Plea bargains necessarily involve waiving one’s right to a jury trial, often in exchange for more favorable sentencing terms.
According to the DOJ, Steve “admitted that he made a false report to Rain and Hail, a company re-insured by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation” with respect to misrepresented crop failures in 2018, and he “admitted he committed additional fraud in 2019 and 2020.”
The DOJ outlined multi-million dollar losses incurred by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a result of the false reports, noting that Steve’s plea served as an admission of guilt in court:
“By pleading guilty [on November 5], McBee admitted that he engaged in fraudulent activity from 2018 to 2020 that caused an economic loss to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, McBee must pay restitution as determined by the court. The total loss claimed by the government is $4,022,123.
“Additionally, McBee must forfeit to the government $3,158,923 … As a result of [the] false reports, McBee received $2,605,943 in federal crop insurance benefits to which he was not entitled, as well as $552,980 in federal crop insurance premium subsidies to which he was not entitled, for a total of $3,158,923.”
Finally, the DOJ indicated that the maximum penalty Steve McBee faces is 30 years in federal prison; it was not clear if his plea agreement, forfeiture of the funds in question, and restitution would engender a lighter sentence, and no sentencing date had been set at the time the press release was issued.
A week after the press release was issued, The Kansas City Star reported that Steve’s sentencing hearing was set for March 13, 2025, nearly a year to the day of The McBee Dynasty’s premiere.
The paper noted that Steve made no mention of his legal issues on social media, but when contacted for comment, he “expressed remorse,” saying:
“I entered a Plea Agreement to address crop insurance issues with farming operations back in 2018-2020. I personally accept responsibility, for the buck stops with me. I will always acknowledge a failure in judgment and action, just like I will always celebrate our McBee team when it enjoys success.
“From our first generation family farm, to all other McBee family ventures, we are committed to conducting business the right way. The high standards we satisfy now in 2024 will continue to guide McBee endeavors and projects moving forward.”
Moreover, The Kansas City Star located a rather prophetic comment, which appeared on Reddit’s r/McBeeDynasty back in April.
In response to a thread about whether the impression of wealth displayed in Season 1 was “real,” one fan speculated:
My prediction is a year or two from now we will learn of money laundering or insurance fraud[.]
As for Season 2 of The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys, Bravo said it would premiere “some time in 2025” on the network, with next-day streaming on Peacock.
