Public records request: Fines caused by violating AFIDA

Mr. Schonander,
This letter acknowledges receipt of your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request dated August 17, 2022, to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Production and Conservation Business Center (FPAC-BC).  Your request was received in this office and assigned control number 2022-FSA-05100-F.  Please use this control number for all future communications regarding this request.  You requested the following: Records regarding fines levied due to violating Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) reporting rules from the period of January 1st, 2000, to December 31st, 2020. Request the name of the recipient being fined, the dollar amount of the fine, the county of the property associated with the fine, the state of the property associated with the fine, and the date of the fine in the requested records.
Your request is being handled under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552 (http://www.usdoj.gov/oip/amended-foia-redlined.pdf).
We process requests on a first-in, first-out basis.  The actual processing time will depend upon the complexity of the request and whether or not it involves sensitive or voluminous records, or extensive searches and/or consultations.  We also process requests on a multi-track basis.  This means that simple requests, requiring minimal effort to respond, are processed in one track, and more voluminous and complex requests are processed in another track.  We have placed your request in the Simple track.
You were placed in the "Media Use" Category and there are no fees associated with the processing of your request.
The estimated date upon which we expect to provide you the requested records is on or before September 14, 2022.
If you have questions concerning this request, please contact Government Information Specialist, Kent Willett (503) 404-1121.  If Government Information Specialist, Kent Willett is not available, please contact Government Information Specialist, Christina Vander Linden at 816-823-2669 or Government Information Specialist, Carol Nagel at 701-530-2107.  We can also be reached at the group email address SM.FP.FOIA@usda.gov.
I appreciate the opportunity to assist you in this matter.
Sincerely, Patrick McLoughlin
Patrick McLoughlin
FOIA Officer
Farm Production and Conservation
NOTICE:  This electronic mail message and any files transmitted with it are intended exclusively for the individual or entity to which it is addressed.  The message, together with any attachment, may contain confidential and/or privileged information.  Any unauthorized review, use, printing, saving, copying, disclosure or distribution is strictly prohibited.  If you have received this message in error, please immediately advise the sender by reply email and delete all copies.

Mr. Schonander,
This responds to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request dated Date August 17, 2022, and assigned control number 2022-FSA-05100-F.  You requested the following: Request the following records: Records regarding fines levied due to violating Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) reporting rules from the period of January 1st, 2000, to December 31st, 2020. Request the name of the recipient being fined, the dollar amount of the fine, the county of the property associated with the fine, the state of the property associated with the fine, and the date of the fine in the requested records.
In response to your request, we compiled and are releasing an Excel spreadsheet with 340 lines of AFIDA penalties from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2020.  Each line addresses the date the penalty was assessed, the name of the individual/entity, the amount paid, the date paid (if known), and the address of the individual/entity.
Please note, the program owner has informed us that there is a gap in penalties from 2015 until 2018. Simply put, there was a new program manager and a significant increase in work load during this time. The AFIDA staff are diligently working to get the data from those years verified and made available.
Your responsive records have been uploaded to BOX, a secure way for us to share data without having to create a CD or Thumb drive.  You should receive an invitation to box from the site.  If you don’t receive it, please visit https://account.box.com/login to retrieve your documents.  Please retrieve your documents on or before November 30, 2022.  If you have any problems retrieving your documents, contact us.
You were placed in the "Media Use" Category and there were no fees associated with the processing of your request.
Request 2022-FSA-05100-F is officially closed.
If you have questions concerning this request, please contact Government Information Specialist, Kent Willett (503) 404-1121.  If Government Information Specialist, Kent Willett is not available, please contact Government Information Specialist, Christina Vander Linden at 816-823-2669 or Government Information Specialist, Carol Nagel at 701-530-2107.  We can also be reached at the group email address SM.FP.FOIA@usda.gov.
Sincerely, Patrick McLoughlin
Patrick McLoughlin
FOIA Officer
Farm Production and Conservation
NOTICE:  This electronic mail message and any files transmitted with it are intended exclusively for the individual or entity to which it is addressed.  The message, together with any attachment, may contain confidential and/or privileged information.  Any unauthorized review, use, printing, saving, copying, disclosure or distribution is strictly prohibited.  If you have received this message in error, please immediately advise the sender by reply email and delete all copies.

Mr. Schonander,
This responds to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request dated Date August 17, 2022, and assigned control number 2022-FSA-05100-F.  You requested the following: Request the following records: Records regarding fines levied due to violating Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) reporting rules from the period of January 1st, 2000, to December 31st, 2020. Request the name of the recipient being fined, the dollar amount of the fine, the county of the property associated with the fine, the state of the property associated with the fine, and the date of the fine in the requested records.
In response to your request, we compiled and are releasing an Excel spreadsheet with 340 lines of AFIDA penalties from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2020.  Each line addresses the date the penalty was assessed, the name of the individual/entity, the amount paid, the date paid (if known), and the address of the individual/entity.
Please note, the program owner has informed us that there is a gap in penalties from 2015 until 2018. Simply put, there was a new program manager and a significant increase in work load during this time. The AFIDA staff are diligently working to get the data from those years verified and made available.
Your responsive records have been uploaded to BOX, a secure way for us to share data without having to create a CD or Thumb drive.  You should receive an invitation to box from the site.  If you don’t receive it, please visit https://account.box.com/login to retrieve your documents.  Please retrieve your documents on or before November 30, 2022.  If you have any problems retrieving your documents, contact us.
You were placed in the "Media Use" Category and there were no fees associated with the processing of your request.
Request 2022-FSA-05100-F is officially closed.
If you have questions concerning this request, please contact Government Information Specialist, Kent Willett (503) 404-1121.  If Government Information Specialist, Kent Willett is not available, please contact Government Information Specialist, Christina Vander Linden at 816-823-2669 or Government Information Specialist, Carol Nagel at 701-530-2107.  We can also be reached at the group email address SM.FP.FOIA@usda.gov.
Sincerely, Patrick McLoughlin
Patrick McLoughlin
FOIA Officer
Farm Production and Conservation
NOTICE:  This electronic mail message and any files transmitted with it are intended exclusively for the individual or entity to which it is addressed.  The message, together with any attachment, may contain confidential and/or privileged information.  Any unauthorized review, use, printing, saving, copying, disclosure or distribution is strictly prohibited.  If you have received this message in error, please immediately advise the sender by reply email and delete all copies.

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