PROVIDENCE, RI. — Rhode Island Beef and Veal, a Johnston, RI-based beef processor, and one of its owners pleaded guilty to charges of defrauding customers, according to the US Attorney’s Office of Rhode Island on June 8. The company and owner Michael Quattrucci claimed that its beef products were federally inspected when allegedly the items did not pass the requirements under the Federal Meat Inspection Act.

Additionally, the defendants pleaded guilty to defrauding customers through use of an official inspection mark of the Secretary of Agriculture without authorization.

RI Beef and Veal received a notice of suspension from the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) on Aug. 20, 2019. Its federal food safety inspector was withdrawn at that time.

Eight days following the suspension, a USDA supervisor visited the plant and discovered USDA marks of inspection were still being applied to meat products. According to the attorney’s office, five bins of meat contained products with USDA stickers. By law an inspector must be present for administration of these marks.

FSIS investigated the issue and photographed the boxes of meat that were marked without an inspector present.

Quattrucci is scheduled to be sentenced on July 26, and Rhode Island Beef and Veal is scheduled for Sept. 7.