PRESS RELEASE
May 5, 2008
London, Ky. —Joreen Crawford, a food service worker in Barbourville, Ky., pleaded guilty today to one count of tampering with a consumer product which resulted in a loss of approximately $1,200 dollars for her employer.
The 27-year-old Crawford admitted during her guilty plea that on January 17, 2007, she purposely placed a metal clip/staple in a batch of processed meatloaf that was to be distributed to a national restaurant chain. Crawford also acknowledged that she committed the act hoping that one of her co-employees would be blamed, resulting in this individual’s termination.
A week after the incident, one of Crawford’s co-workers notified Crawford’s supervisor about the incident. However, the meatloaf had already been shipped to the broker for nationwide distribution. The supervisor immediately called the broker and recalled the entire shipment of 3,570 pounds of processed meatloaf. In February, a USDA investigator and Crawford’s supervisor used an X-ray machine to examine the meatloaf and discovered the clip/staple in one of the processed meatloafs. Crawford’s employer and the national restaurant chain will not be revealed for legal purposes. Crawford was indicted in February of this year.
James A. Zerhusen, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, made the announcement today after Crawford entered her guilty plea.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Drug Administration (USDA). The United States was represented in the case by Assistant United States Attorney W. Samuel Dotson.
Crawford is currently scheduled to appear for sentencing before United States District Court Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove in London, Ky., on August 14 at 10 a.m. Crawford faces a maximum prison sentence of ten years. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the United States Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of sentences.