In a complaint filed on Aug. 19, 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture alleged that Martinez Fresh Produce LLC, Dallas, Texas, failed to make full payment promptly in the total amount of $155,508 to eight sellers for multiple lots of produce in violation of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act.
After the complaint was filed, USDA and Martinez Fresh entered into a Consent Decision and Order in which Martinez Fresh agreed to pay the unpaid produce sellers in full and to pay a civil penalty in the amount of $20,000. As a result of Martinez Fresh satisfying the terms of the consent decision and order, the finding that it had committed repeated and flagrant PACA violations was permanently abated without further process and the case has been closed.
For more information, contact Corey Elliott, Chief, Investigative Enforcement Branch, at (202) 720-6873 or PACAInvestigations@usda.gov.
the fruit and vegetable industry.
