The U.S. Department of Agriculture has sanctioned a number of produce businesses for failing to pay awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act.
The companies restricted from operating in the produce businesses are:
- Azteca Produce Distributors Inc., Tracy, Calif., for failing to pay $9,852 to a California seller. The responsibly connected individuals are Alicia Arevalo and Martin Diaz.
- Cal-O Vegetable Exchange Inc., Los Angeles, for failing to pay $36,539 to a California seller. The responsibly connected individuals are Scott Kunisaki and Thomas Kunisaki.
- Country Bumpkin Produce, Porterville, Calif., for failing to pay $1,548 to a California seller. The responsibly connected individuals are Sharon Stone and Rodney Stone.
- Apex Produce Co., Center, Colo., for failing to pay $17,604 to a Kansas seller. The responsibly connected individuals are Mark Bisel and RC Mizo Inc.
- Adam Guzman Jr., doing business as AG Tomato Co., Houston, for failing to pay $6,440 to a Florida seller. The responsibly connected individual is Adam Guzman Jr.
The USDA also entered into a consent decision with Bacchus Fresh International Inc., Lombard, Ill., after it failed to pay $720,903 to 23 sellers for 104 lots of produce.
Bacchus cannot operate in the industry until Aug. 15, 2014. The responsibly connected individual, Robert Jajkowski, cannot be employed by any PACA licensee until Aug. 15, 2013. Another principal is challenging his responsibly connected status.
The USDA also filed PACA administrative actions against United Potato Distributors Inc. and Lucas Brothers Inc.
The USDA said Los Angeles-based United Potato Distributors, doing business as United Distributors, did not promptly and fully pay 39 sellers $759,820 for produce bought from November 2010 through January 2012.
Lucas Brothers, Riverview, Fla., also allegedly failed to pay nine sellers $242,386 for produce it bought from March 2010 to November 2010.
Comments (1) Leave a comment