Former cantaloupe growers, brothers Eric and Ryan Jensen, owed $26,368 in restitution imposed by the U.S. District Court in Denver when they decided to work off their debt by helping with a family hemp growing operation.
Their time as cantaloupe growers in Southwest Colorado did not go so well when
Continue Reading Now growing hemp, not deadly cantaloupe, Jensen brothers face felony charges in Kansas
Criminal prosecutions in food cases have been quiet for the last few years.
Outbreak 2: The recent multistate investigation began on April 2, 2019, when CDC’s PulseNet identified the Salmonella Carrau outbreak. As of April 24, 2019, 117 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Carrau have been
Continue Reading Publisher’s Platform: If I was part of Caito Foods, I’d be nervous
One option the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has pursued since at least 2010 in criminal prosecutions of corporations and officers is to bring charges that do not require proof that defendants were in a criminal state of mind. However, it’s an option that may be ending soon. FDA’s
Continue Reading Food Safety Misdemeanors Might Require Showing ‘Guilty State of Mind’
Here are a couple of legal concepts to get your head around before we continue: The Park Doctrine: Also known as the “Responsible Corporate Officer (RCO) Doctrine,” it allows a corporate officer, who in a position to prevent or correct a violation of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA)
Continue Reading Letter From the Editor: Can Strict Liability Crime Mean Jail Time?
Two Colorado farmers who pleaded guilty to six counts of introducing contaminated cantaloupe to interstate commerce in one of the deadliest foodborne illness outbreaks in U.S. history have asked a federal judge for probation sentences. Eric and Ryan Jensen, owners of Jensen Farms, pleaded guilty in October to selling cantaloupes
Continue Reading Cantaloupe Farmers Ask for Probation in Criminal Case
Family members of those killed in the 2011 cantaloupe Listeria outbreak met today in Denver with Eric and Ryan Jensen, the brothers who grew the contaminated cantaloupes thought to have caused the deaths. The pair agreed to the unusual meeting in separate plea bargains with John F. Walsh, the U.S.
Continue Reading Jensen Brothers Meeting Today With Families of Those Killed By Their Cantaloupes
A few years back, someone close to me died in California and I found myself helping the family deal with obtaining the state certificate of death. I remember being somewhat surprised to learn that California death certificates do not simply list a cause of death, as do some other states.
Continue Reading Letter From the Editor: Cause(s) of Death
Two Colorado cantaloupe growers each pleaded guilty on Tuesday to six federal misdemeanor counts charged for introducing adulterated food into interstate commerce and criminal aiding and abetting. The pair will not be sentenced until Jan. 28. 
Brothers Eric and Ryan Jensen grew cantaloupes in 2011 that became contaminated with deadly
Continue Reading Jensen Brothers Plead Guilty to Six Federal Misdemeanors
After first pleading not guilty last month to all charges, Eric and Ryan Jensen reached an agreement with federal prosecutors that tomorrow will see them plead guilty and agree to cooperate with the government in exchange for lighter sentences. The brothers will probably get an opportunity to provide testimony when
Continue Reading Jensen Brothers Take Responsibility But Blame PrimusLabs
Eric and Ryan Jensen have requested a “change of plea hearing” from the U.S. District Court in Denver, announcing through their attorneys that a disposition has been reached in the case. The two brothers are charged in connection with one of the most deadly outbreaks of foodborne illness in U.S.
Continue Reading Plea Agreement Could End Jensen Farms Prosecution on Oct. 22
