A warehouse supervisor may face up to 5 years in prison and a 250,000 fine for falsifying temperature records on an exported frozen chicken. That is a huge price to pay for a guy who probably did not benefit greatly from pushing the shipment before it was ready…..probably too much in a hurry or just didn’t care. Was it the lack of training, or did his managers put expectation in the wrong place – speed instead of safety? Clearly a lack of understanding on the impact of food safety deviations and the severity of punishment on falsifying documentation as related to international agreements.
Can you imagine having to tell your kids you won’t be coming home for 5 years because you will be spending time in the big house with a cell mate named Butch….all for failing to do the job correctly.
Man admits conspiracy in poultry exports to Russia from PascagoulaPublished: May 22, 2013
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/05/22/4683370/man-admits-conspiracy-in-poultry.html
2 other Jackson County men face trial
By ROBIN FITZGERALD — rfitzgerald@sunherald.com
GULFPORT -- An Ocean Springs man has admitted conspiring to violate a trade agreement with Russia by authorizing the export of poultry at higher temperatures than required.
Terry White, 38, was a warehouse supervisor for Gulf Coast Cold Storage in 2009 when he directed others to falsify blast-freezer records and restack loads of poultry to disguise portions considered too "hot" to load onto ships.
The business is a tenant at the Port of Pascagoula.
White accepted a plea agreement Tuesday to conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States. The maximum penalty is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
He avoided trial on four other charges with additional penalties of up to 18 years in prison and fines of $760,000.
White will be sentenced Aug. 19 in U.S. District Court.
Two other men who were supervisors at the business are set for trial June 3.
Gerald Miller, 40, of Gautier, and Patrick McClain, 55, will be prosecuted on the conspiracy charge. Miller also will be tried on three counts of making false statements to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
They are accused of circumventing trade-agreement requirements on poultry temperatures to increase productivity at the business.
The three men remain free on unsecured bonds.
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