The USDA has determined that Juan Carlos Cruz Castro was responsibly connected to The Great Produce LLC (Great Produce), Pharr, Texas.
The USDA said in a news release that the news is an update to an earlier release issued on July 20, 2022.
Great Produce violated the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act by failing to pay a reparation award of $46,232 in favor of a Texas seller, the release said. As a result, USDA imposed sanctions on the business, including requiring that all principals may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee without USDA approval.
USDA made an initial determination that Juan Carlos Cruz Castro was responsibly connected to Great Produce, and subject to sanction. He contested this initial determination, and USDA has determined that he was responsibly connected to Great Produce at the time of the violation, the release said.
As a result, he may not be employed or affiliated with any PACA licensee without approval from USDA, after the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond, until Nov. 17, 2024, the release said.
For additional information, contact Corey Elliott, chief of the Investigative Enforcement Branch, at (202) 720-6873 or PACAInvestigations@usda.gov.
