Organic fraudster jailed

Sunday, June 3, 2012

At least one judge in the United States isn't a fan of cheaters on organic food products.

In Lane County, Ore., U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken sentenced 55-year-old Harold Chase to two years in jail for wire fraud. He faxed fake documentation to organic ingredient supplier Grain Millers Inc., pocketing an extra US$190,000 on a transaction involving 2,253 tonnes of conventional corn bought under various aliases from four suppliers in Idaho and eastern Washington State. Grain Millers grew suspicious because of inconsistencies in the auditing process for organic products.

Aiken cited the defrauding of countless consumers who paid a premium for pesticide-free food products.

According to the Register-Guard newspaper in Eugene, Ore., Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Bradford said an investigation showed that Chase had done this before with organic onions in 1997, but wasn't likely to be charged because the statute of limitations had run out. BF