Beef Certifier Sentenced for E. coli Scam

A Downey man who knowingly and willfully provided a fake Certificate of Analysis stating that a beef sample from Huntington Meat Packing Company had tested negative for E. coli has been sentenced to a year of home detention and ordered to pay $307,695.90 in restitution.

Jim Johnson, 67, pleaded guilty to falsifying the Certificate of Analysis in United States District Court last November. Johnson worked as a consultant for Huntington Meat Packing Company, a former meat processing and distribution company located in Montebello, California.

The company had a plan that addressed how the company would test its beef for E. coli. Among Huntington’s customers were El Primo Foods and Foster Farms.

Johnson knowingly provided the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety Inspection Service with a fake Certificate of Analysis, stating that the beef had tested negative for E. coli. However, at the time, preliminary laboratory results indicated that the beef was contaminated with the pathogen.

“The defendant’s crime endangered consumers throughout the country,” said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “The public is dependent upon inspections and testing for food safety, and this case illustrates the immense ramifications that one failure can have on consumers.”

As a result of the false Certificate of Analysis, the USDA identified a total of approximately 111 Certificates of Analysis that were falsified by Johnson between March 30, 2009, and January 12, 2010. The recall for the contaminated beef was initially expanded to include approximately 864,000 pounds of beef products, which was later expanded to include an additional 4.9 million pounds of beef and veal products from Huntington due to the falsified Certificates of Analysis and other violations.

The case against Johnson is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, with assistance by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service.

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