FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Brenda Blair, a former manager at Tyson Foods Inc., received a sentence of 28 months in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release on one count of wire fraud, The US Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas reported. Blair also was ordered to pay $551,343.52 in restitution.

Blair pleaded guilty to the wire fraud charge in September 2015. She admitted to defrauding Tyson Foods of $551,343.52 over nine years in her role as special benefits plan manager of the company’s Pre-65 Retiree Health Insurance Benefits plan. Blair spent more than 25 years working for Tyson Foods.


The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Internal Revenue Service (IRS) – Criminal Investigation Division and the Dept. of Labor investigated the case. Assistant US Attorney Kimberly N. Davis prosecuted the case for the United States.