Following a decision to exclude evidence allegedly implicating Jason McGuire, former Executive Vice-president for Sales for Prepared Foods and Timothy Stiller, former General Manager, Fresh Food Services at Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. U.S. District Judge Daniel D. Domenico granted the Department of Justice (DOJ) motion to dismiss charges.
The prosecution by the DOJ of numerous executives for alleged collusion and anticompetitive action covering the period from 2012 through 2019, was decidedly unsuccessful.
In March, a federal jury failed to reach a verdict and the case was re-tried by the DOJ. Charges were dismissing against five of the accused when a second criminal trial resulted in an acquittal in July. In August, charges were dropped against Wesley Tucker and Justin Gay.
Notwithstanding the failure of the DOJ to prove collusion and price fixing, as alleged, Pilgrim’s Pride entered a plea agreement with the DOJ in October 2020 paying a $110 million penalty.
Hopefully the ultimate outcome of this case, that arose from a series of civil class-action lawsuits, will convince the DOJ that they need to have solid evidence of any wrongdoing before destroying careers and subjecting managers to untold personal stress and financial hardship.