Jeremy Farmer, former Lawrence mayor, charged with embezzlement

Jeremy Farmer, who resigned as mayor of Lawrence last year, has been charged in federal court with embezzling $5,000 from a food bank.

Farmer, 32, was the executive director of Just Food, the primary food bank in Douglas County. Prosecutors allege that he stole more than $5,000 from the organization from 2013 until August 2015, when he resigned from Just Food. He stepped down as mayor two days later.

Farmer resigned from Just Food after the organization acknowledged it owed the federal government $50,000 in payroll taxes. At the time, officials at the food bank described the failure to pay taxes as an inattention to detail. However, Farmer’s ex-wife had stated in a deposition that he had been fired from a previous job for misappropriating funds. 

If convicted, Farmer a penalty of up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.