Friday, April 29, 2011
Cite interstate commerce violation
Washington Times
A yearlong sting operation, including aliases, a 5 a.m. surprise inspection and surreptitious purchases from an Amish farm in Pennsylvania, culminated in the federal government announcing this week that it has gone to court to stop Rainbow Acres Farm from selling its contraband to willing customers in the Washington area.
The product in question: unpasteurized milk.
It’s a battle that’s been going on behind the scenes for years, with natural foods advocates arguing that raw milk, as it’s also known, is healthier than the pasteurized product, while the Food and Drug Administration says raw milk can carry harmful bacteria such as salmonella, E. coli and listeria.
“It is the FDA’s position that raw milk should never be consumed,” said Tamara N. Ward, spokeswoman for the FDA, whose investigators have been looking into Rainbow Acres for months, and who finally last week filed a 10-page complaint in federal court in Pennsylvania seeking an order to stop the farm from shipping across state lines any more raw milk or dairy products made from it.
The farm’s owner, Dan Allgyer, didn’t respond to a message seeking comment, but his customers in the District of Columbia and Maryland were furious at what they said was government overreach.
“I look at this as the FDA is in cahoots with the large milk producers,” said Karin Edgett, a D.C. resident who buys directly from Rainbow Acres. “I don’t want the FDA and my tax dollars to go to shut down a farm that hasn’t had any complaints against it. They’re producing good food, and the consumers are extremely happy with it.”...[Full Article]
Labels: Amish, FDA, Food and Drug Administration, investigation, Pennsylvania, raw milk, sting
Monday, May 10, 2010
MADISON, Wis. -- A state Justice Department narcotics agent has pleaded not guilty to stealing drug money in an FBI sting.
Johnny Santiago was charged in March in federal court in Milwaukee with theft of government property. Prosecutors believe he stole about $1,100 that FBI agents planted in a vacant store front Santiago was set up to search.
Santiago entered the plea Friday. His trial is set to begin June 28.
His attorney, Michael Hart, did not immediately return messages.
Labels: corruption, drugs, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, sting
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]