The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has imposed sanctions on two produce businesses for failing to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and failing to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).
These sanctions include suspending the businesses’ PACA licenses and barring the principal operators of the businesses 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 & D Distributors Inc., operating out of Evanston, Ill., for failing to pay a $7,457 award in favor of a Colorado seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Samuel R. Sustarich and Clark J. Fideler were listed as the officers, directors and/or major stockholders of the business.
- Farmer Jacks Produce LLC, operating out of Middlesex, N.J., for failing to pay an $11,031 award in favor of a Texas seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Nasser Nasser and Helen G. Mejia were listed as managers and members of the business. Other principals of the business at the time of the order were Francis Manzo, Sharon Press, and Stephen D. Press. Sharon Press and Stephen D. Press have been found not responsibly connected to Farmer Jack’s Produce LLC at the time of the violation. Francis Manzo has challenged his responsibly connected status.
For more information, contact John Koller, Chief, Dispute Resolution Branch, at (202) 720-2890, by fax at (202) 690-2815, or PACAdispute@usda.gov.
