USDA restricts PACA violators in Connecticut, New York and Texas

The USDA has imposed sanctions on three produce businesses for failing to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce, according to a news release.

The sanctions were related to produce purchases by the businesses and failing to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, the release said.

These sanctions include suspending the businesses’ PACA licenses and barring their principal operators from engaging in PACA-licensed business or other activities without approval from USDA.

The following businesses and individuals are currently restricted from operating in the produce industry:

• C. Liberatore LLC, operating out of Hartford, Conn., for failing to pay a $26,903 award in favor of a New York seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Carmine Liberatore was listed as the sole member of the business.
• Marchella of NY Inc., operating out of Oceanside, N.Y., for failing to pay a $103,509 award in favor of a New York seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Manashe Yukhananov was listed as the sole officer, director and stockholder of the business.
• Prometo Produce Corp., operating out of McAllen, Texas, for failing to pay a $15,400 award in favor of a Minnesota seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Vicente Diaz Moreno was listed as the sole officer, director and stockholder of the business.

By issuing these penalties, USDA continues to enforce the prompt and full payment for produce while protecting the rights of sellers and buyers in the marketplace, the release said.

For more information, contact Penny Robinson-Landrigan, chief of the Dispute Resolution Branch, PACA Division, at 202-720-2890 or PACAdispute@usda.gov.