USDA awarded Chisholm a contract to provide dark red kidney beans to be exported to Honduras as part of the U.S. Agency for International Development's Food for Work program.
The indictment alleges that in 2009, Chisholm "brought 300 metric tons of beans in four lots to the USDA to be inspected." One lot passed inspection and after this inspection, Chisholm allegedly re-submitted the same batch twice and received two more certificates. Chisholm then, allegedly "instructed his employees to substitute uninspected [and moldy] beans for those two lots."
If convicted, Chisholm faces a maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison, five years for each count.
To read the Minneapolis Star Tribune story, click here.
To read the Crookston Daily Times story, click here.
Posted: 07/16/2010
