Jesse “Babe” Amaral Jr., former co-owner of the Petaluma, CA, slaughterhouse previously known as Rancho Feeding Corporation, has joined three other defendants in pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute adulterated, misbranded, and uninspected meat. All four defendants will proceed to status hearings and sentencing later this year as there is
Continue Reading Amaral Joins Others in Pleading Guilty in Rancho Feeding Case
DOJ Food-Safety Enforcement Role to Continue in 2015
When producers of such staple foods as beef, eggs, and peanut butter found they were the targets of federal criminal prosecution, it became a top food-safety story of 2014. But is it likely that food-safety enforcement will continue to rely on these U.S. Department of Justice-led (DOJ) criminal cases in
Continue Reading DOJ Food-Safety Enforcement Role to Continue in 2015
Rancho Co-Owner Will Go To Trial Alone, Three Others Make Plea Deals
Jury selection will begin July 16, 2015, in the federal criminal conspiracy case involving former Rancho Feeding Corp. co-owner Jesse J. Amaral Jr. The 76-year-old cattle company executive will be tried alone as three others, implicated in the alleged conspiracy to sell for human consumption cattle known to have cancerous
Continue Reading Rancho Co-Owner Will Go To Trial Alone, Three Others Make Plea Deals
Government Settles on Plea Deal With Rancho Yardman
Eugene D. Corda, 65, the top yardman responsible for receiving cattle and moving them for inspection and slaughter at Rancho Feeding Corporation’s slaughterhouse in Petaluma, CA, has very likely become a government witness. Under terms of a sealed plea agreement with government attorneys, Corda has now pleaded guilty to just
Continue Reading Government Settles on Plea Deal With Rancho Yardman
Rancho Feeding Criminal Trial Being Pushed Into Next Year
A trial date for the federal criminal prosecution of the former co-owner of now-defunct Rancho Feeding Corporation and two former employees won’t be set until Dec. 17, according to U.S. District Court Judge Charles R. Breyer. Breyer delayed setting the trial date at a status hearing Wednesday in San Francisco
Continue Reading Rancho Feeding Criminal Trial Being Pushed Into Next Year
Next Action in Rancho Feeding Corp. Criminal Case Delayed to Sept. 24
Except for finishing up the arraignment of the defendants, who are being freed on bail, the criminal case involving the former owners and employees of the Rancho Feeding Corporation won’t really get underway until Sept. 24. Federal Judge Charles R. Breyer continued the “initial appearances” in the case until that
Continue Reading Next Action in Rancho Feeding Corp. Criminal Case Delayed to Sept. 24
Rancho Documents Reveal an Interconnected Chain of Conflict
(This article written by Christopher Peak was published May 8, 2014, in the Point Reyes Light. Peak also took the photos.) Newly disclosed documents about Rancho Feeding Corporation, the Petaluma slaughterhouse that closed down operations after a sweeping recall of 8.7 million pounds of beef, reveal a cozy
Continue Reading Rancho Documents Reveal an Interconnected Chain of Conflict
USDA Gives a Little More Background on Rancho Recall
In an attempt to help consumers understand the situation surrounding Rancho Feeding Corporation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) has posted an update to the recall site. The page informs consumers that inspection personnel were on-site during normal operations, but due to the ongoing investigation
Continue Reading USDA Gives a Little More Background on Rancho Recall
Now-Recalled Rancho Beef Found Its Way Into Jack in the Box and Other Fast-Food Hamburgers
Jack in the Box and other fast-food restaurants were not included in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s list of retailers who might have received recalled beef from Rancho Feeding Corp. in Petaluma, CA. The retail list for the Rancho recall is one of the longest ever, with more than 5,800
Continue Reading Now-Recalled Rancho Beef Found Its Way Into Jack in the Box and Other Fast-Food Hamburgers
Independent Ranchers Still In Limbo From Rancho Beef Recall
Last August, James Baker took a job as the warehouse manager of BN Ranch after receiving an offer from the owner, Bill Niman. Baker had worked with Niman at another ranch several years prior, and he quickly jumped at the opportunity to work with him again now that Niman had
Continue Reading Independent Ranchers Still In Limbo From Rancho Beef Recall