# Peanut Executive sentenced to 28 years. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 23, 2015, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291 "2015-09-23T13:21:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291/1 "2015-09-23T13:21:32Z")
I’m sure most of you are familiar with this case of food poisoning in which 9 people died. > **[28 years for salmonella: Peanut exec gets groundbreaking sentence | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2015/09/21/us/salmonella-peanut-exec-sentenced/)** > > Stewart Parnell of the now-defunct Peanut Corporation of America is sentenced to 28 years for knowingly shipping peanut butter paste that had salmonella. This probably should be in the pit, but I just don’t have the energy. This sort of thing is one of my personal fears. I put a lot of trust into food processing companies. I feed this stuff to my loved ones. If I fed tainted peanut butter to one of my grandchildren and it killed them, well, let’s just say, the guilt I would feel, even though I shouldn’t feel any, would magnify my grief by a large amount. I mean, it’s not just the higher ups. If I understand this correctly, every person who worked there knew how horrible the conditions were. Mold and rat droppings everywhere. Did these people ever eat any of the product themselves? I just don’t understand this. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291/2 "2015-09-23T13:40:13Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > I mean, it’s not just the higher ups. If I understand this correctly, every person who worked there knew how horrible the conditions were. Mold and rat droppings everywhere. Did these people ever eat any of the product themselves? > > I just don’t understand this. The most anomalous thing about the whole situation, from what I read, is the length of sentence imposed on the executive. This is almost unprecedented. I think focusing all the blame on just the players in the market takes things out of context a little bit. For example, it is not uncommon for restaurants to have few health code violations - which may include some of the things you mention in your OP. Furthermore, where were the inspectors, is there not some blame to be placed there if things were so bad? Even though I think there is a larger context in play, I do think the CEO got what he deserved, but I don’t think he is necessarily evil. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291/3 "2015-09-23T14:22:06Z")
> [@Mr.Nylock](#): > > I do think the CEO got what he deserved, but I don’t think he is necessarily evil. The asshole had his people lie about positive tests for salmonella and ship tainted product. The asshole complained that delays were costing him money. If chasing profit at the expense of human health (and lives) isn’t evil it is pretty fucking close. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291/4 "2015-09-23T14:48:56Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > The asshole had his people lie about positive tests for salmonella and ship tainted product. The asshole complained that delays were costing him money. > > If chasing profit at the expense of human health (and lives) isn’t evil it is pretty fucking close. What executive anywhere has not bent rules for a profit? Executives have a lot of things weighing on them and a responsibility to shareholders etc., and as I said in the last post, the sentence shocked most observers. AFAICT little people (myself included) are quick to condemn and point fingers at CEO’s and executives, yet nobody makes food safety an issue until the line is pushed further and further back forcing people to make tough choices to maintain profitability. It doesn’t seem like you’re interested in engaging in a more detached intellectual conversation though, so I’ll just leave it at this. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291/5 "2015-09-23T15:01:42Z")
> [@Mr.Nylock](#): > > What executive anywhere has not bent rules for a profit? By putting customers at clear risk of illness and/or death? Some, but not many, I suspect. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291/6 "2015-09-23T15:05:44Z")
> [@Mr.Nylock](#): > > What executive anywhere has not bent rules for a profit? “Bent the rules?” ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291/7 "2015-09-23T15:35:54Z")
> [@Mr.Nylock](#): > > What executive anywhere has not bent rules for a profit? Executives have a lot of things weighing on them and a responsibility to shareholders etc., and as I said in the last post, the sentence shocked most observers. The reason why you ask that and likely are defending this asshole is because this kind of sentence is unprecedented. It should be the other way around. CEOs and executives should regularly get long jail sentences for harming the public and only occasionally should they be able to get out of punishment. That should be the norm ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291/8 "2015-09-23T15:43:39Z")
That sentence ain’t peanuts. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291/9 "2015-09-23T15:54:18Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > The reason why you ask that and likely are defending this asshole is because this kind of sentence is unprecedented. It should be the other way around. CEOs and executives should regularly get long jail sentences for harming the public and only occasionally should they be able to get out of punishment. That should be the norm I’m not defending him. If you read my first post I explicitly say I agree that the long sentence was deserved. I’m adding more nuanced layers to the discussion by alluding to the fact that our socio/legal/political system as a whole has created a standard that, although it does not condone, also does not adequately deter such behavior. CEO’s and other leaders arrive at there position to some extent through a process of evolution. What that means is that the market shapes behavior more than individual choice or preference. Fault, blame could be spread around more broadly. The long sentence is a good precedent and hopefully reflects a more serious consideration of these issues. Also, remember that the OP his holding everyone who worked there accountable, not just the CEO - so my statements also are meant to address that was well. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291/10 "2015-09-23T16:25:53Z")
I’m not fond in the least of capitalist businessmen, yet I think this sentence was over the top. I’m glad that they avoided the full 803 years he was facing. [Geez, one day God will strike America down for her hubristic sentencing…] ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291/11 "2015-09-23T18:06:40Z")
> [@Mr.Nylock](#): > > I’m not defending him. If you read my first post I explicitly say I agree that the long sentence was deserved. Sorry, I guess I read your post too quickly and misunderstood ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291/12 "2015-09-23T18:26:17Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > The reason why you ask that and likely are defending this asshole is because this kind of sentence is unprecedented. It should be the other way around. CEOs and executives should regularly get long jail sentences for harming the public and only occasionally should they be able to get out of punishment. That should be the norm No, probably not. I’d agree if you said “management personnel”, but looking at CEOs and executives is kind of pointless. Many companies are big enough that something that blows up may not have even been something that was brought to the attention of the CEO’s first-level underlings. It’s about as dumb as holding say… Dwight Eisenhower directly responsible for [the massacre at Canicatti](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canicatt%C3%AC_massacre). He likely had no idea that it ever occurred, and had certainly issued orders against that sort of thing. McCaffrey is the guy who should have been court-martialed for the crime. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291/13 "2015-09-23T18:31:49Z")
> [@bump](#): > > It’s about as dumb as holding say… Dwight Eisenhower directly responsible for [the massacre at Canicatti](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canicatt%C3%AC_massacre). He likely had no idea that it ever occurred, and had certainly issued orders against that sort of thing. McCaffrey is the guy who should have been court-martialed for the crime. Again, this CEO told his people to falsify records and ship tainted product. This isn’t something that was happening without his knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291/14 "2015-09-23T19:22:59Z")
> [@bump](#): > > No, probably not. I’d agree if you said “management personnel”, but looking at CEOs and executives is kind of pointless. Many companies are big enough that something that blows up may not have even been something that was brought to the attention of the CEO’s first-level underlings. > It’s about as dumb as holding say… Dwight Eisenhower directly responsible for [the massacre at Canicatti](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canicatt%C3%AC_massacre). He likely had no idea that it ever occurred, and had certainly issued orders against that sort of thing. McCaffrey is the guy who should have been court-martialed for the crime. I think CEOs have skated by with little or no punishment for far too long for far too many crimes. I don’t mind if the pendulum swings the other way for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291/15 "2015-09-23T19:23:32Z")
Judging by some of the posts in the other thread about the greedy CEO who raised the price of a drug from a buck a pill to $700 bucks a pill, I’m pretty sure someone will be along shortly to blame government food safety regulations for the poisonings. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291/16 "2015-09-23T19:52:29Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > I’m glad that they avoided the full 803 years he was facing. Yeah, but with current prison practices, he’d have only had to serve about half of that. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291/17 "2015-09-23T20:14:35Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > …I just don’t understand this. I agree. It’s just nuts. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291/18 "2015-09-23T20:26:16Z")
Why didn’t they prosecute the others? It took a lot of people to facilitate this crime. A lot of people looked the other way and ignored the filthy conditions. Knowing this product would be sold nationwide. I’m glad these three got sentenced. > [@](#): > > A federal judge handed Parnell a 28-year prison sentence, the toughest penalty ever for a corporate executive in a food poisoning outbreak. Parnell is 61 and unless he wins an appeal, he will have to serve out most of his term. > > His brother and food broker Michael Parnell received a 20-year sentence, and the plant’s quality assurance manager, Mary Wilkerson, was given five years. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291/19 "2015-09-23T20:47:59Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Again, this CEO told his people to falsify records and ship tainted product. This isn’t something that was happening without his knowledge. I wasn’t talking about this guy in particular, but rather **YogSosoth’s** rather blanket statement that CEOs ought to do jail time and be held responsible for anything their companies do, whether or not they have any idea that it happened, and regardless of whether the issue is in violation of policies the CEO may have instituted. My point was that justice ought to be done, not just some sort of ritualistic witch-hunt to imprison the CEO, some kind of fines against the company, and then business as usual. In other words, determine each individual’s culpability, and which, IF ANY, criminal laws were broken, and then try them accordingly. In this case, more than just the CEO and a couple others should have been sentenced, IMO. In others, the CEOs ought to be off the hook if they weren’t culpable; merely being CEO doesn’t necessarily make one criminally culpable for the actions of your company. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291/20 "2015-09-23T22:57:04Z")
Just remember that as a result of the “three strikes” rules, suckers are getting life for stealing a loaf of bread. Compared to that, this guy got off easy. He is guilty of murder. Why is this sentence over the top? Fuck him. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-executive-sentenced-to-28-years/732291.md?page=2)