Michelle Myrter, Rotten Cheese Distribution, Pittsburgh PA, 2023

PITTSBURGH, PA – Michelle Myrter, 44, of Harmony, Pennsylvania, walked away with a lenient sentence today after pleading guilty to knowingly helping push rotten cheese onto the national market. The former executive at International Packing, LLC and Universal Cheese & Drying, Inc. received three years’ probation, a $5,000 fine, and a measly 200 hours of community service for one misdemeanor count of aiding and abetting the introduction of adulterated and misbranded cheese products into interstate commerce.

U.S. District Judge Mark R. Hornak handed down the sentence, claiming it was “sufficient but not greater than necessary.” Translation: a slap on the wrist for a crime that could have sickened consumers nationwide. Court documents reveal Myrter, as a “responsible corporate officer,” actively participated in the scheme while at the helm of both companies. She knew the cheese was bad, and she signed off on shipping it anyway.

The feds say International Packing, LLC and Universal Cheese & Drying, Inc. weren’t just peddling bad cheese; they were also laundering money. Both companies have already pled guilty to one count of conspiring to introduce misbranded and adulterated cheese products into interstate commerce and to commit money laundering. Sentencing dates for the companies themselves are still pending.

This wasn’t some accident. This was a calculated risk taken by Myrter and her companies, prioritizing profit over public health. The scale of the operation suggests a systemic disregard for food safety regulations and a willingness to deceive consumers for financial gain. While Myrter avoided jail time, the stench of this case lingers.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tonya Sulia Goodman led the prosecution, a case built on the painstaking work of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton praised their efforts in bringing Myrter and her companies to justice, but many will question if justice was truly served.

The lenient sentence sends a troubling message: that corporate malfeasance, even when it involves potentially dangerous products, can be mitigated with a fine and a few hours of community service. Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and the sentencing of the implicated companies, ensuring the full extent of this rotten scheme is exposed.