The president of Rancho Feeding, which was found to have processed beef from sick cattle, was sentenced to a year in federal prison. Jesse Amaral, 78, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute adulterated and misbranded meat, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. The former company’s owner and two other employees are awaiting sentencing for their roles.
Amaral admitted ordering employees between 2012 and January 2014 to process cattle that had been condemned by a government veterinarian — meaning they were unfit for human consumption — and to avoid full inspection of cattle suffering from epitherlioma, or eye cancer.
Federal prosecutors had sought a five-year sentence. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer instead gave Amaral a one-year sentence, followed by a year in a halfway house, citing his health as a factor. Amaral has had several heart attacks and recently had surgery for cancer.
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