Savannah attorney Amy Lee Copeland has filed a Notice of Appeal for Stewart Parnell’s motion to vacate, set aside or correct his sentence under a federal habeas corpus action.
Parnell’s Motion was denied Sept. 23 by the trial judge, W. Louis Sands, who upheld the also negative findings of Magistrate
Continue Reading Parnell’s challenge to his prison sentence is now an appeal to the 11th Circuit
Stewart Parnell, the 68-year former peanut industry executive who 13 years ago was caught shipping peanut butter and pastes that he knew were contaminated, won’t be getting out of prison until 2038 when he’ll be 84 years old.
Judge W. Louis Sands of the he Middle District of the U.S.
Continue Reading Former peanut powerhouse Stewart Parnell isn’t getting out of jail
Brothers Stewart Parnell, 67, and Michael Parnell, 63, will each be filing objections to the federal habeas corpus recommendations against them in relation to food safety felonies involving the deadly 2008-09 multistate Salmonella outbreak associated with Peanut Corporation of America .
And Magistrate Judge Thomas Q. Langstaff has granted both
Continue Reading Parnell brothers plan to file objections to magistrate’s denial recommendation
The U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Middle District of Georgia recommends denial of motions to release brothers Stewart and Michael Parnell from federal custody. Judge Thomas Q. Langstaff quietly filed decisions on April 7 after taking both matters under advisement this past October.
The Parnells, convicted in a 2014 jury
Continue Reading Parnell brothers fail to persuade magistrate that their trial lawyers were ineffective
Petitions from the Parnell brothers for an appellate rehearing of their criminal convictions and sentences were denied by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta on June 11. Further, their petitions for Rehearing En Banc were also rejected as no active judge asked to poll the
Continue Reading 11th Circuit won’t hear or rehear anymore Parnell appeals
The trial judge is as much on trial as the criminal defendants during an appeal, and a 97-minute session Tuesday in a federal appeals court in Atlanta was an illustration of how that system works. It came during oral arguments in the case of United States v. Michael Parnell, Mary
Continue Reading PCA appeal could impact future food safety prosecutions
The conduct of the 2014 jury that convicted Peanut Corporation of America executives delayed sentencing for about year, but in its final analysis the district court found a new trial based on jury misconduct was not warranted.
Appellate attorneys for peanut broker Michael Parnell filed lengthy after-hours arguments Monday with
Continue Reading ‘Fry them’ comments in jury room could get Parnells a new trial
Samuel Lightsey, 52, the former manager of the now defunct Peanut Corporation of America processing plant in Blakely, GA, has moved into a Residential Re-entry Management facility in Atlanta a step toward his release from federal prison scheduled for Oct. 1.
Samuel Lightsey, left, and Stewart
Continue Reading First of PCA convicted executives begins prison release process
Prosecution and defense attorneys in the Peanut Corporation of America criminal case have found something they can agree upon. Both sides now say the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta needs to hear oral arguments before deciding if the District Court made any errors that should result in
Continue Reading Government responds to defense issues in PCA appeal
Leo A. Knowles, president of ConAgra Grocery Products Company LLC, appeared in federal court in Albany, GA, Tuesday to put a human face on the corporate entity pleading guilty to a criminal misdemeanor charge of shipping peanut butter contaminated with salmonella, causing a nationwide outbreak a decade ago.
[caption id=”attachment_68929″
Continue Reading Biggest criminal fine ever in food safety case; zip for restitution
