BEDFORD — A repeat offender faces a string of felony and misdemeanor charges in Lawrence County after a state investigation revealed he allegedly used a fake name and a front company to systematically defraud a local family out of tens of thousands of dollars in timber.
Dillon Richardson, 40, has been charged with corrupt business influence, a Level 5 felony; buying timber without a license with a prior conviction, a Level 6 felony; theft, a Level 6 felony; obstruction of justice; a Level 6 felony; and three separate Class C misdemeanors involving fraudulent timber practices and cutting unpurchased trees.
The charges stem from an extensive investigation spearheaded by Detective Neal Brewington of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which exposed a multi-county operation designed to bypass forestry laws and probation restrictions.
According to court documents, the investigation began in September 2025 when Bedford residents contacted Indiana Conservation Officers to report a massive timber theft from their 16-acre property at 700 Lower Leesville Road.
In April 2024, the residents had sought to harvest timber from their land. They contacted a relative, J, who was a registered agent for the Connersville-based company Snyder Logging. The family entered into a strict contract outlining a specific profit split based on log grade, expressly dictating that high-value white oak veneer logs were the primary target and that no red oaks were to be cut unless specifically requested.
However, the family told investigators that the agent’s “boss” sent an associate to manage the harvest. That man was Dillon Richardson.
Between September and December 2024, Richardson and his crew harvested the land. The land owners grew suspicious when Richardson abruptly vanished in December, leaving valuable cut logs rotting on the ground. Furthermore, the family discovered that restricted red oak trees had been clear-cut, their high-value veneer logs were missing, and they had only received $17,384.91 in compensation, far below the $35,000 to $50,000 they were promised for a harvest estimated to be worth $70,000.
Worse yet, the family later learned Richardson had been operating under aliases.
DNR Detective Brewington’s investigation quickly revealed why Richardson was hiding his true identity. Richardson is legally prohibited from participating in the timber industry under the terms of a previous probation agreement out of Fayette County. At the time of this harvest, Richardson was actively wanted on an arrest warrant for violating that probation by illegally logging in the Connersville area.
Criminal records show Richardson is a habitual offender with a history of exploiting the logging industry across southeastern Indiana, including:
- 2007 and 2010 (Fayette County): Convictions for purchasing timber without a license and theft.
- 2011 and 2018 (Franklin County): Convictions for timber theft and purchasing timber without a license, with prior convictions.
- 2017 and 2019 (Wayne County and Fayette County): Further felony convictions for theft, corrupt business influence, and operating without a license.
- 2023 (Decatur County): Convicted again for illegal timber purchasing.
State forestry specialists and law enforcement combed through sawmill records to locate the missing lumber. Duane McCoy, a Timber Buyer Licensing Forester with the Indiana Division of Forestry, conducted a formal appraisal of the current property. McCoy determined that 53,833 board feet of timber had been cut, including 14 strictly forbidden red oak trees.
Subpoenas issued to sawmills in Indiana and Ohio revealed that Snyder Logging had sold 43,436 board feet of lumber stripped from the Bedford property, pocketing $67,992.39 after freight deductions.
The paper trail directly linked Richardson to the transactions. Sawmill managers reported they had dealt with a man named “Matt Dixon” regarding the timber. The phone number provided by “Matt Dixon” was verified by detectives to be Richardson’s personal cell phone.
Furthermore, a bank subpoena of Snyder Logging’s financial records at Fifth Third Bank showed that while the family was shortchanged, Richardson was receiving regular, substantial payments hidden under the guise of “equipment service and labor.”
On April 28, 2026, Detective Brewington interviewed Richardson at the Decatur County Detention Center, where he was being held on separate matters. Richardson admitted to using the alias “Matt Dixon” when negotiating with the sawmills, helping mark the victim’s property lines, and cutting the timber, though he claimed he was mostly just servicing equipment and working for Snyder Logging.
Investigators also interviewed a male who had been running the financial side of Snyder Logging due to the declining health and subsequent death of his father, the owner of the company.
The male admitted to investigators that he had never visited the Bedford property and had no input on the contract. He conceded that he eventually realized Richardson was a “crook” and abandoned his own plans to take over the family timber business because of it. The male further admitted to police that he knew Richardson was legally barred from working in the timber industry, but acknowledged that Richardson was effectively running all aspects of the operation. He also noted suspicions that Richardson was bypassing the company’s books entirely, utilizing a local liquor store to cash certain sawmill checks directly.
Following the state’s verification of the fraudulent activity, the probable cause affidavit was signed and submitted on May 28, 2026, moving the case forward to prosecution in Lawrence County.
An arrest warrant has also been tied to the family friend for false information related to the logging scheme.
Richardson was detained on June 25th.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the probable cause affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
