His company’s guilty plea for bribing a USDA egg inspector is costing Austin (Jack) DeCoster’s Quality Egg,LLC an extra $10,000. U.S. District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett has signed a preliminary order of forfeiture ordering Quality Egg, LLC to pay $10,000 “representing proceeds derived from the illegal activity committed by
Continue Reading Judge Signs Forfeiture Order Against DeCoster’s Quality Egg, LLC
Salmonella Victims Learn DeCosters Will Be Sentenced in February
The thousands sickened in the 2010 Salmonella outbreak traced to two Iowa egg production facilities received a mixture of good and bad news from the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) Victim Notification System last week. In a hearing Thursday, U.S. District Judge Mark W. Bennett granted the government’s motion for
Continue Reading Salmonella Victims Learn DeCosters Will Be Sentenced in February
DeCoster Defense Team Says Jail for Their Clients Is Not an Option
In his many high-profile run-ins with government officials over labor and environmental controversies, the now-71-year-old Austin “Jack” DeCoster got used to people wanting to see him jail. But it never happened, and his lawyers now say neither DeCoster nor his son Peter can be sentenced to jail for their involvement
Continue Reading DeCoster Defense Team Says Jail for Their Clients Is Not an Option
Government Says Salmonella Controls DeCoster Practiced in Maine Were Not Followed in Iowa
When 550 million shell eggs were recalled from two Iowa farms in 2010 as the nation experienced an outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE), Austin “Jack” DeCoster owned or controlled the largest egg production conglomerate in the U.S. Government attorneys say he knew more than he’s let on about controlling the
Continue Reading Government Says Salmonella Controls DeCoster Practiced in Maine Were Not Followed in Iowa
Government Gets More Time to Respond to DeCoster’s No-Jail Argument
Because the defense attorney for Austin “Jack” DeCoster has raised a “novel constitutional issue that appears to be a matter of first impression,” assistant U.S. District Attorney Peter E. Deegan Jr. has asked the judge for more time to respond. DeCoster, who is awaiting sentencing on a federal misdemeanor, claims
Continue Reading Government Gets More Time to Respond to DeCoster’s No-Jail Argument
Defense Secret: How to Keep ‘Jack’ DeCoster Out of Jail
America’s former egg king is not going to jail, according to his defense attorneys from Sidley Austin LLP in Washington, D.C. Attorney Frank R. Volpe has filed a motion on behalf of Austin (Jack) DeCoster in U.S. District Court for Northern Iowa, with a mostly secret legal argument claiming that,
Continue Reading Defense Secret: How to Keep ‘Jack’ DeCoster Out of Jail
Prosecution: Court Needs More Testimony Before Sentencing the DeCosters
Pre-sentencing investigative reports (PSIRs) for America’s one-time king of egg production, Austin (Jack) DeCoster, his son Peter, and their Quality Egg LLC business, have turned into a legal mess. While the PSIRs themselves are sealed, the public now knows a little more about details of the disputed information from a
Continue Reading Prosecution: Court Needs More Testimony Before Sentencing the DeCosters
DeCosters, Quality Egg LLC Object to Pre-Sentence Investigation Reports
The defendants in the criminal case involving Quality Egg LLC, including Austin (Jack) DoCoster and his son Peter, are objecting to the pre-sentence investigation reports that have been filed under seal with the court. Both the Aug. 14 reports and the Aug. 28 objections filed against them by the defendants
Continue Reading DeCosters, Quality Egg LLC Object to Pre-Sentence Investigation Reports
DeCosters Plead Guilty; Defense Claims Jail Time Would be Unconstitutional
The sentencing of 79-year-old Austin “Jack” DeCoster and his 51-year-old son, Peter DeCoster, still remains to be done, and it is going to be a little more complicated than originally thought. That is the major takeaway from a federal courtroom in Sioux City, IA, where everything else went down Tuesday
Continue Reading DeCosters Plead Guilty; Defense Claims Jail Time Would be Unconstitutional
Big Fine and Guilty Pleas Might Keep DeCosters Out of Jail
Austin “Jack” DeCoster and his son, Peter DeCoster, will accept some responsibility today for their contaminated eggs, which made almost 62,000 people sick four years ago, but don’t look for either man to serve much in the way of jail time. 
Plea agreement details released ahead of today’s federal magistrate
Continue Reading Big Fine and Guilty Pleas Might Keep DeCosters Out of Jail