Beef Baron’s Meat Misery: Quattrucci’s $20,000 Fine, 3-Year Probation

A massive meat misstep has left a Rhode Island beef slaughterhouse and its owner reeling. Rhode Island Beef and Veal, and its owner, Michael A. Quattrucci, were hit with a $20,000 fine and three years of federal probation for violating the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA).

The guilty plea, announced by U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha, marked the culmination of a lengthy investigation into the Johnston-based slaughterhouse’s alleged misdeeds. According to court documents, Rhode Island Beef and Veal had been fraudulently claiming that beef had been federally inspected and passed as required under the FMIA, when in fact, it had not.

Quattrucci, who previously pleaded guilty to charges of defrauding customers by claiming that beef had been inspected under the FMIA, as well as preparing beef without complying with inspection requirements of the FMIA, was sentenced on July 27, 2023, to one year of federal probation and ordered to pay a fine of $1,000.

The USDA Food Safety Inspection Service served RI Beef and Veal with a notice of suspension and withdrew its inspector on August 20, 2019. However, just eight days later, a USDA supervisor visited the plant and found employees packing various cuts of meat and fraudulently applying USDA marks of inspections to the meat.

The investigation, led by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, revealed that packaged meat with USDA stickers attached was found stored in bins, despite no inspector being present. A day later, a USDA investigator visited the slaughterhouse and took photos of the illegally marked packages of beef, as well as 224 pounds of unmarked ground beef and a 594-pound half carcass of beef that had been freshly cut into primal parts for delivery to a customer in Connecticut.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Milind M. Shah prosecuted the case, which highlighted the severity of the alleged violations and the importance of ensuring the integrity of the meat inspection process. The case serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of prioritizing profits over compliance with critical food safety regulations.

As a result of this conviction, Rhode Island Beef and Veal will be subject to strict oversight and monitoring to ensure compliance with the FMIA. The fine and probation sentence are a testament to the federal government’s commitment to protecting public health and safety, and holding accountable those who would compromise it.