Related Federal Cases
Petaluma Slaughterhouse Owner Pleads Guilty To Meat Adulteration
A former Petaluma slaughterhouse owner has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute adulterated meat, announced United States Attorney Melinda Haag and Lori Chan, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Office of Inspector General, Investigations, Western Region.
On February 18, 2015, Jesse ‘Babe’ Amaral, Jr., 77, owner of the now-defunct Petaluma slaughterhouse Rancho Feeding Corporation, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute adulterated, misbranded, and uninspected meat, in violation of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and the Mail Fraud and Conspiracy statutes.
Amaral admitted that from 2012 through January 10, 2014, he knowingly and with intent to defraud directed Rancho employees to process for human consumption cattle that had been condemned by the USDA veterinarian; to circumvent inspection procedures for certain cattle exhibiting symptoms of cancer eye; and to process these cancer eye cattle for human consumption without full inspection.
Amaral also admitted knowingly causing Rancho to submit fraudulent cattle invoices to farmers between at least 2012 and January 2014.
Amaral was indicted on August 14, 2014, along with Rancho employees Eugene Corda, 66, and Felix Cabrera, 56. All were charged with fraudulent distribution of adulterated, misbranded, and uninspected meat, in violation of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA), 21 U.S.C. §§ 610(c) & 676(a); conspiracy to commit the same, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371; and mail fraud conspiracy in furtherance of the same scheme, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349.
Amaral’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 1, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer. The maximum statutory penalties for conspiracy to distribute adulterated meat are 5 years’ imprisonment, 3 years’ supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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