(Photo by Nathan DeBruin, Kenosha County Eye)
(Mugshot, Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office)
This story was edited on February 12th at 11:23 p.m.
KENOSHA, Wis. — Michael A. Daniels, 48, a longtime Salem-area farmer, has been sentenced to six months in jail for failing to pay child support and a $170,000 loan to his former in-laws — the latest in a long string of legal and financial troubles.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Daniels appeared in Kenosha County family court Tuesday, where Family Court Commissioner Alexandra Smathers found him in contempt of court after his continued refusal to comply with prior court orders. Daniels had stopped paying both court-ordered child support and installments on the six-figure loan, despite having been repeatedly ordered to do so.
The case stems from Daniels’ 2023 divorce from his now ex-wife, who is the daughter of a local farming family that claims they loaned him substantial funds during the marriage — funds which he has since defaulted on.
(facebook.com)
In sworn statements filed earlier this year, Daniels claimed he could not afford payments due to a bad year for farming and said he was forced to choose between buying inputs for his crops or paying debts. However, in a sworn affidavit, his ex-wife alleged that Daniels traveled to Mexico in January (with Rita Bucur, the Village President of Salem Lakes and a Uline executive), despite claiming he had no money.
Longstanding Financial Collapse
Daniels’ financial troubles are not new. In 2017, he filed for Chapter 12 bankruptcy, reporting more than $4 million in liabilities, including delinquent farm debts, unpaid tax bills, and lapsed business loans tied to his former company, Crane Grain Farms, LLC.
Since then, courts have entered at least six judgments against Daniels:
- $158,434.44 (June 3, 2024)
- $135,236.20 (June 9, 2025)
- $13,769.50 (eviction case, 2024)
- $7,100.19 (vendor default)
- Two others totaling several thousand dollars
Court records confirm that none of these judgments have been paid. Daniels also had 18 now-satisfied tax warrants filed against him by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.
In some cases, Daniels has allegedly been barred from buying farm supplies on credit and must pay in full up front due to a track record of missed payments and defaults.
(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office)
History of Violence and Threats
Daniels also remains out on bail in a pending criminal case tied to a restraining order he allegedly violated. A Kenosha man accused Daniels of threatening to “beat [his] ass” and “make [his] body disappear.” A witness relayed those threats to investigators. Daniels invoked the Fifth Amendment when questioned during the hearing, and the restraining order was granted through 2029. He was charged in June and released on $500 cash bail. He is next due in court on December 4.
His earliest conviction dates to 2004, when he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after urinating in public. Two years later, he was arrested for domestic violence battery after allegedly choking, punching, and slamming a man into a silo. A witness also said Daniels kicked the man, who was 22 years his senior. Daniels pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in that case as well.
In 2007, he was cited for trespassing after driving trucks through a neighbor’s crops. In 2023, he was fined $2,581 for applying pesticide without a license.
Terms of the Sentence
Although Daniels was sentenced Tuesday to 180 days in jail, the sentence was stayed, meaning he can avoid incarceration if he meets several court-imposed conditions:
- Begin paying $2,500 per month toward the loan starting October 1
- Remain current on all child support obligations
- Appear at all court hearings over the next three years
- Pay his ex-wife’s attorney fees in full by December 31, 2025
A review hearing is scheduled for December 12. If Daniels fails to comply with any of the terms, he will be jailed.
Editor’s Note: Kenosha County Eye previously reported that Crane Grain Farms LLC filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Court records reflect the filing was under Chapter 12 bankruptcy protection. The article has been updated to reflect this correction. A previous version of this article stated that Daniels had 19 open tax warrants filed against him by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. Court records reflect that Daniels had 18 tax warrants filed between 2021 and 2023, all of which have since been satisfied. The article has been updated to reflect this correction.
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32 Responses
Related to no paying child support berg?
He is the MAGA version of Berg.
Nah thats the left side right there covering up and begging for more typical libtard stuff
I wonder if Rita follows the 3 date rule? When Daniel’s goes to jail, i’m gonna ask her out and get in that skirt. She’s hot.
People tend to date the same type over and over. Since she is into losers, you got a good chance.
🤣🤣🤣
Nobody can take a joke anymore you are pussies.
If it smells like fish, don’t eat it
Well sure looks like Village President Rita Bucur has set the bar pretty low for a partner. I wonder how confident the Village is that she is capable of making good decisions
I didn’t know Bucur’s a Democrat. Kevin, did she flip at some point or is my memory failing me (likely the latter)? I wonder what an attractive woman who has a lot going for her sees in a dude like this.
She’s not, he’s trying to troll her.
Farmers, the Whiteman version of welfare queens
Someone sounds jealous
https://youtu.be/ZRDaPEaDJ7E
I’m not saying this guy is that but give him credit for trying.
Time to sell and pay back debts.
Maybe get a job at some municipality somewhere.
Mmmm ?
Yes, farmers are important, but so is everyone else who works to provide for our society. They’re not out there hoeing by hand anymore; they have million-dollar equipment doing a lot of the work, yet they still barely make a buck. It’s not an easy job, but neither are millions of other jobs. We need to keep things in perspective.
Not sure bringing the Lord into the conversation regarding this individual is really what PH was talking about. PH definitely knew things ahead of his time.
WTF? No wonder Salem is so fucked up. She’s just another bubble head loser!
Apparently she’ll bang anybody…. He should have at least siphoned some of that Uline cash from her…
My cousin Mike is an imbarrasment. Go to jail loser. Maybe he’ll grow up
Sounds like your whole family are losers.
Someone sounds jealous 🤣
Nope but he is. We’re all farmers out here. He’s an arrogant asshole.
I know a lot of his family members. They are great people. He is a bad apple
Imbarrasment? Jfc America is doomed…
The Village is in much worse shape financially than it was two years ago, and now they’re planning to borrow millions to cover up their poor decisions. It’s clear Wetland Mama Hiller was a bad call.
Thought that was Guy Fieri with Rita
Is Salem Lakes actually in West Virginia?
No
Farming is a tough life. I’d bet dollars to doughnuts that the gf paid for the whole trip to Mexico.
Or should I say ex-gf?
Her car is still parked in front of his house pretty often!
Another very disappointing tidbit about Rita, but not shocking at this point.
Just like with Hiller, Rita choosing this ultimate loser is proof of her terrible decision-making.
Smdh.
Farmers aren’t fat.
Farmers take care if their kids.
Fat Boy ain’t no farmer.
Who loans a guy that much money with no collateral? If he owns land, equipment, commodities in storage- time for the auction
Everyone in towns pay tax based on the value of their “property “. Farmers seem to be the only “exception” to those rules. City home worth $500k will likely have $7000 property tax. Fa worth millions won’t pay close to
That….
Food is necessary, but stores that sell the food don’t get these breaks, or places that sell or fix cars (just as essential as food) don’t get these breaks. Pharmacies don’t get these breaks, just farms . Seems kind of silly
How about no one pay taxes, let’s be pissed that any of us have to hand over our money to the government.