Steven McBee Has ‘Not Been the Same’ amid ‘Pressure’ from FBI Investigation

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Steven McBee Jr. is ready to be honest with his brothers about what’s going on with their father, Steven “Steve” McBee Sr.

Toward the end of The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys‘ season 2 finale, which aired Monday, Sept. 1, Steven Jr. met with his brothers Jesse and Cole to share something he’s “been keeping” from them.

He wasted no time getting to the point when he announced the family is facing “a problem that’s just going to go away.”

“We’ve been under FBI investigation for the crop years 2018, 19, and 20,” Steven Jr. said. “They went through all of our records, [and] we turned over everything that we had. It’s looking like there may be prison time involved.” 

Steven Jr. said “it’s just dad” being looked into, as he revealed the investigation has “been going on for the last year.”

“Part of me is scared to death right now. This is the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Cole told the cameras, as Jesse noted in a separate confessional, “It’s a lot to take on at once. Now, this all makes sense.”

Steven Jr. explained to his brothers that as they’ve “been going back and forth with the government,” their dad has been feeling the weight.

“That man is under the most intense pressure I’d ever seen in my life,” Steven Jr. said. “The last couple of months, dad’s not been the same. I can tell this has taken a toll on him.”

Being candid with Cole and Jesse, Steven Jr. admitted he did not “know what the end result of this thing is gonna be.”

“It’s a weird feeling because I feel like any time we’ve ever had a problem, it was always like, ‘Dad will figure it out,’ no matter what,” Jesse said as Steven Jr. added, “He ain’t figuring this one out.”

“The last thing we needed right now, just trying to run a damn farm, and now we’ve got the government trying to hound us,” Steven Jr. continued.

“I have no idea what it’s going to look like the next few months or a year, but we’re gonna be in the trenches together,” he explained, adding, “because we’ve gotta figure out how to keep this place alive and keep it running through whatever the hell the end result of this is gonna be.”

Steven also noted in a confessional that the FBI investigation was “out of our control,” unlike past troubles the family has faced with their farm. “We have no power,” he added.

His father’s FBI investigation has taken a toll on Steven Jr.

Speaking to the cameras, his mother, Kristi McBee (who is Steve Sr.’s ex-wife), said that her eldest son is “having a hard time being positive about anything right now.”

“We don’t know at all what’s going to happen with Steve,” she continued. “So, you know, we don’t know what’s to come.”

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In his confessional, Steven Jr. said: “My end goal is to make sure this farm is here, not only for our kids but our kids’ kids. To carry this into the next generation and to truly create a legacy, that puts one hell of a burden on my shoulders to keep this family farm alive.”

In the episode’s final moments, an update is given on Steve Sr.

The show noted that Steve Sr. pleaded guilty to insurance fraud in November 2024, and he’s “waiting on sentencing.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office – Western District of Missouri had previously announced that Steve had waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty to a fraud scheme involving the receipt of federal crop insurance benefits that he was allegedly not authorized to receive. He was charged with one count of federal crop insurance fraud, per a DOJ press release. 

He is currently facing up to 30 years in federal prison without parole. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 9.

The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys is streaming on Peacock.