Last summer’s tainted pet food scare that killed thousands of dogs and cats across the country led Wednesday to criminal charges against three companies and four corporate officials.
A federal grand jury in Kansas City accused two Chinese companies, a Las Vegas firm and their officers in a purported scheme to manufacture and import tainted wheat gluten, a common ingredient in many wet pet food products. The case was filed in Kansas City because the port of entry for the wheat gluten into the United States was a Kansas City warehouse.
Beginning in March, pet food manufacturers recalled more than 150 brands of dog and cat foods after reports that animals had suffered kidney failure. Reports to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration suggested that about 1,950 cats and 2,200 dogs died after eating contaminated pet food, said U.S. Attorney John F. Wood.
“Millions of pet owners remember the anxiety of last year’s pet food recall,” Wood said at a news conference announcing the charges. “These indictments are the product of an investigation that began in the wake of that recall.”
Prosecutors contend that one Chinese company deliberately added melamine to wheat gluten to make it appear that it had a higher protein content than actually was the case, saving the company money. A second Chinese company allegedly exported the wheat gluten using an improper label so that Chinese authorities would not inspect the manufacturing facility. And the American company imported the wheat gluten and distributed it to a number of pet food manufacturers, according to the indictment.
Those charged Wednesday:
•Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. Ltd. and Mao Linzhun, its owner and manager, accused of using melamine to adulterate more than 800 tons of wheat gluten shipped to Kansas City between November 2006 and February 2007. Melamine is a cheap, nitrogen-rich industrial product that is not approved for human or animal consumption.
•Suzhou Textiles, Silk, Light Industrial Products, Arts and Crafts I/E Co. Ltd. and its president, Chen Zhen Hao, 58, accused of falsely labeling the melamine-laced wheat gluten for export.
•ChemNutra Inc. of Las Vegas and its owners, Sally Qing Miller, 41, and Stephen S. Miller, 55, accused of distributing adulterated and misbranded food, misdemeanors, and wire fraud, a felony.
ChemNutra and the Millers face 26 misdemeanor counts, each with a maximum sentence of one year in prison, and a fine of $100,000 each and $200,000 for the corporation. The wire fraud count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a $500,000 fine for the corporation.
The Chinese companies and officers face 26 counts of distributing adulterated and misbranded food, all felonies. The maximum penalty for each count is three years in prison and a $250,000 fine; for the corporations, a $500,000 fine.
Previous CFP Stories on Steve Miller, Chemnutra
Mr. Pet Food Supplier goes to Washington
Tainted pet food cat fights
No nice guys among robber barons in pet food industry
Will China's poisoned pet food lead next to human food chain?
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