US salmonella outbreak: Peanut boss jailed for 28 years

[webfact]

Former peanut exec gets 28 years in prison for outbreak
RUSS BYNUM, Associated Press

ALBANY, Georgia (AP) — A former peanut company executive was sentenced Monday to 28 years in prison for his role in a deadly salmonella outbreak, the stiffest punishment ever handed out to a producer in a foodborne illness case.

The outbreak in 2008 and 2009 killed nine Americans and sickened hundreds more, and triggered one of the largest food recalls in U.S. history.

Before he was sentenced, former Peanut Corporation of America owner Stewart Parnell listened from his courtroom seat as nine victims testified about the terror and grief caused by peanut butter traced to the company's plant in southwest Georgia.

One of the victims was 10-year-old Jacob Hurley, who was just 3 when he was stricken by salmonella from peanut butter crackers that left him vomiting and rushing to the toilet for nearly two weeks.

"I think it's OK for him to spend the rest of his life in prison," Jacob told the judge.

Jeff Almer said his 72-year-old mother was battling back from cancer when she died in December 2008 after eating peanut butter from Parnell's plant.

"You took my mom," Almer said. "You kicked her right off the cliff."

When a jury convicted Parnell and two co-defendants a year ago, experts said it was the first time American food processors had stood trial in a food-poisoning case.

A federal jury convicted Parnell, 61, of knowingly shipping contaminated peanut butter and of faking results of lab tests intended to screen for salmonella. Judge W. Louis Sands estimated Parnell faced up to 803 years in prison for his crimes.

"These acts were driven simply by the desire to profit and to protect profits notwithstanding the known risks" from salmonella, the judge said. "This is commonly and accurately referred to as greed."

Federal investigators found a leaky roof, roaches and evidence of rodents at the plant, all ingredients for brewing salmonella. They also uncovered emails and records showing food confirmed by lab tests to contain salmonella was shipped to customers anyway. Other batches were never tested at all, but got shipped with fake lab records saying salmonella screenings were negative.

Emails prosecutors presented at trial showed that Parnell once directed employees to "turn them loose" after samples of peanuts tested positive for salmonella and then were cleared in another test. Several months before the outbreak, when a final lab test found salmonella, Parnell expressed concern to a Georgia plant manager, writing in an Oct. 6, 2008, email that the delay "is costing us huge $$$$$."

Parnell, who didn't testify during his trial and stayed silent years ago when called before a congressional hearing, apologized to the courtroom full of victims and their relatives.

Speaking in a shaky voice and wearing a rumpled white shirt and khaki pants, Parnell acknowledged problems at his peanut plant, but he never addressed the emails and company records.

"I am personally embarrassed, humiliated and morally disgraced by what happened," he said, acknowledging that some might see his apology as coming too late.

"It's been a seven-year nightmare for me and my family," Parnell told the judge. "All I can do is come before you and ask for forgiveness from you and the people back here. I'm truly sorry for what happened."

His brother, Michael Parnell, and the plant's former quality control manager, Mary Wilkerson, were also convicted and face lesser sentences.

Members of Parnell's family pleaded for leniency. His mother, Zelda Parnell, told the judge both of her sons "have suffered for years."

"They lost their income, all their material things and worst of all their pride," she said.

Stewart Parnell buried his face in the palm of his hand when his daughter, Grey Adams, told the judge that "my dad's heart is genuine."

"My dad is not greedy — he never gave himself a raise and he never gave himself a bonus," said Adams, who worked with her father at Peanut Corporation but was not charged. "My dad and everyone in our family are profoundly sorry for the harm that was caused."

Three deaths linked to the outbreak occurred in Minnesota, two in Ohio, two in Virginia, one in Idaho and one in North Carolina.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-09-22

[ezzra]

I'm just thinking, had this case were to happened in Thailand, there will be a delay of 10 or so years for the case to come to the courts, by that time, the case would be muddled and watered down, witnesses will ' forget ' or have been silenced, and light sentence with a small penalty would have been matted to the defended,

Justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done.....

[canuckamuck]

That's a kick in the nuts

[spidermike007]

For the Thais who may be reading this forum, this is a practice known as consumer protection. It is when the government shows concern for the safety of its citizens. The US government does not often get it right, but in this regard, they rank high in my estimation.

I could not envision this happening here. Executives being made to take responsibility for their failings? Just can't see it. Consumer safety enforcement is an amazing thing. One of the few areas where the little guy still has a bit of power and influence.

[X pat]

​From what I was reading in the U.S. papers he was jailed for life.

[topt]

For the Thais who may be reading this forum, this is a practice known as consumer protection. It is when the government shows concern for the safety of its citizens. The US government does not often get it right, but in this regard, they rank high in my estimation.

I could not envision this happening here. Executives being made to take responsibility for their failings? Just can't see it. Consumer safety enforcement is an amazing thing. One of the few areas where the little guy still has a bit of power and influence.

Interesting the possibly different response from China around the same time - but again this is probably only because it affected them internationally - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Chinese_milk_scandal

A number of criminal prosecutions were conducted by the Chinese government. Two people were executed, one given a suspended death penalty, three people receiving life imprisonment, two receiving 15-year jail terms,^[6] and seven local government officials, as well as the Director of the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), being fired or forced to resign.^[7]

[HerbalEd]

What a stupid, stupid, stupid man. Did he actually think he would get away with this??? Emails, company records, employee witnesses were all there for the investigators to find. Given how many people died, he should get life or be executed. No sympathy what-so-ever for this piece of s..t.

[BuaBS]

Maybe that's the reason why the boil peanuts , here in Thailand...

[Steely Dan]

And the wife insists on buying U.S produced peanut butter instead of the cheaper Chinese alternative.

[spidermike007]

For the Thais who may be reading this forum, this is a practice known as consumer protection. It is when the government shows concern for the safety of its citizens. The US government does not often get it right, but in this regard, they rank high in my estimation.

I could not envision this happening here. Executives being made to take responsibility for their failings? Just can't see it. Consumer safety enforcement is an amazing thing. One of the few areas where the little guy still has a bit of power and influence.

Interesting the possibly different response from China around the same time - but again this is probably only because it affected them internationally - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Chinese_milk_scandal

A number of criminal prosecutions were conducted by the Chinese government. Two people were executed, one given a suspended death penalty, three people receiving life imprisonment, two receiving 15-year jail terms,^[6] and seven local government officials, as well as the Director of the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), being fired or forced to resign.^[7]

Maybe. But China, completely unlike Thailand, seems to be willing to at least penalize some of its officials in a very serious manner. I am not sure if in Thailand's recent history, an official has ever been given a life sentence or the death sentence. I highly doubt it. Nobody here is serious enough about reform. And I did say nobody. Kudos to China (and I am no fan of the Chinese government) for taking out an official here and there. It does set an example that is so urgently needed here.

[Berkshire]

I'm just thinking, had this case were to happened in Thailand, there will be a delay of 10 or so years for the case to come to the courts, by that time, the case would be muddled and watered down, witnesses will ' forget ' or have been silenced, and light sentence with a small penalty would have been matted to the defended,

Justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done.....

You do understand that the outbreak happened around 2008-09, which means roughly 7 years or so ago. Not exactly swift justice. And from what I've read, this case is rather unprecedented and "the first time American food processors had stood trial in a food-poisoning case." The evidence that got him busted was his own e-mail saying "just ship it." This story isn't even related to Thailand, but you always manage to find a way to bash Thailand. You're pathetic.

[Chicog]

What a stupid, stupid, stupid man. Did he actually think he would get away with this???

It seems he got away with it for a long time.

The company began a long history of food quality issues in 1990 when it was sued by American Candy Company after the FDA discovered that PCA's peanut butter exceeded the FDA tolerance level for aflatoxin, a mold toxin. American Candy had turned the peanut butter into 8,000 cases of "kisses" for Wal-Mart, which were not shipped. Another lawsuit was brought by Zachary Confections Inc. of Frankfort, Indiana, in 1991 after a 40,020-pound shipment of nuts from PCA was found to have an unacceptably high level of aflatoxin. There had been concerns about sanitation at the company since at least the mid-1980s.

[JDGRUEN]

Having read a bit about this when it happened ... this is a fine example of what happens when the larger majority of processing workers were illegal aliens ... They didn't have a clue as to what was going on and could not be whistle blowers as American citizens might ... And the personal hygiene practices could have easily contributed to the salmonella contamination .. But we can't talk about that because it is not politically correct

[topt]

For the Thais who may be reading this forum, this is a practice known as consumer protection. It is when the government shows concern for the safety of its citizens. The US government does not often get it right, but in this regard, they rank high in my estimation.

I could not envision this happening here. Executives being made to take responsibility for their failings? Just can't see it. Consumer safety enforcement is an amazing thing. One of the few areas where the little guy still has a bit of power and influence.

Interesting the possibly different response from China around the same time - but again this is probably only because it affected them internationally - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Chinese_milk_scandal

A number of criminal prosecutions were conducted by the Chinese government. Two people were executed, one given a suspended death penalty, three people receiving life imprisonment, two receiving 15-year jail terms,^[6] and seven local government officials, as well as the Director of the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), being fired or forced to resign.^[7]

Maybe. But China, completely unlike Thailand, seems to be willing to at least penalize some of its officials in a very serious manner. I am not sure if in Thailand's recent history, an official has ever been given a life sentence or the death sentence. I highly doubt it. Nobody here is serious enough about reform. And I did say nobody. Kudos to China (and I am no fan of the Chinese government) for taking out an official here and there. It does set an example that is so urgently needed here.

That was my point