Quality Egg Bosses Guilty in Adulterated Eggs Scandal

Quality Egg, LLC, and its top executives have been slammed with a guilty plea in federal court for their role in the distribution of adulterated eggs. Austin “Jack” DeCoster, 79, and Peter DeCoster, 51, along with the company, have admitted to shipping shell eggs contaminated with Salmonella Enteriditis, a poisonous substance that posed health risks.

The Iowa-based egg production giant also confessed to bribery of a public official. Employees at Quality Egg allegedly paid cash bribes to a USDA Inspector in an attempt to bypass legal re-processing requirements for eggs that had been retained or “red tagged” due to quality issues.

Former employee Tony Wasmund, 63, has already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bribe a public official, selling restricted eggs with intent to defraud, and introducing misbranded food into interstate commerce. His sentencing is scheduled for September 2014.

Quality Egg’s actions were not confined to the bribery charge. The company admitted to mislabeling eggs with false expiration dates from at least January 2006 through August 12, 2010, misleading regulators and customers about the age of the eggs. These mislabeled eggs were shipped across state lines to California, Arizona, and other states.

Between the beginning of 2010 and around August 2010, Quality Egg sold shell eggs that contained Salmonella Enteriditis, a serious health hazard. The company acknowledged producing, processing, holding, and packing these contaminated eggs in Iowa before selling them to buyers outside the state.

Austin “Jack” DeCoster and Peter DeCoster each pleaded guilty to introducing adulterated eggs into interstate commerce. The consequences of their actions could be severe, with significant penalties awaiting the company and its executives.