Senator Leahy calls for Peanut Corp. investigation update
The Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) was the company linked to a nationwide salmonella outbreak in 2008 and 2009 in which more than 700 people became ill and nine died. The outbreak also led to a massive recall of peanut products – one of the largest food product recalls in US history – and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigators claimed that the company knowingly shipped tainted products.
The company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in February 2009, and Parnell cited his Fifth Amendment right not to testify at a Congressional hearing regarding the contamination that same month.
The US Attorney’s Office says it has been investigating the company’s former CEO Parnell and other former executives at PCA for the past two years, but no criminal charges have been brought to date.
In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, Leahy wrote: “Two years ago, I wrote to the Department urging a full criminal investigation into this matter…At the time, the Department was unable to comment with specificity but confirmed that an investigation was ongoing and that it was uncertain whether additional legal authorities were needed.
“…My concerns remain that wrongdoers are disregarding the health and safety of American consumers by choosing to sell contaminated products. I hope that there has been a thorough criminal investigation into PCA's conduct at the least, and that if appropriate, criminal charges are aggressively pursued. To the extent possible consistent with ongoing investigations, I request an update on the Department's investigation into the PCA matter.”
Leahy’s letter comes on the heels of a demand from victims of the salmonella outbreak and their families earlier this month that criminal charges should be brought against Parnell.
A copy of Leahy’s letter to the Department of Justice is available online here.
