Eugene Corda pleaded guilty to one count of distributing tainted meat. Corda was one of four individuals indicted in August for selling meat from approximately 101 condemned cattle and 79 cows with eye cancer. A plea agreement between Corda and prosecutors was sealed.
In August, co-owner Robert Singleton pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the distribution of adulterated, misbranded and uninspected meat. He was released on $50,000 bail, and he agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors.
The two remaining defendants, co-owner Jesse Amaral Jr. and Felix Sandoval Cabrera, still face charges and have pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of conspiracy to distribute adulterated, misbranded and uninspected meat. Amaral faces additional charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. The charges carry prison terms and fines that vary from three to 20 years in prison with fines of $10,000 to $250,000.
The Petaluma, California-based meat processor recalled approximately 8.7 million lbs. of meat products. After Rancho Feeding closed, Marin Sun Farms in Point Reyes Station, Calif., acquired the processor's slaughterhouse.
