Georgia salmonella case: Peanut executive faces life in prison

Stewart Parnell is about to find out whether intentionally selling salmonella-tainted food will put him in prison for the rest of his life.

You might remember him as the owner and president of the now defunct Peanut Corporation of America. When told that a delivery of food from his South Georgia plant might be delayed by waiting for lab safety test results, Parnell replied in an email: “Just ship it. I can’t afford to (lose) another customer.”

A jury found him guilty on dozens of counts in what could become a watershed case in food safety. His sentencing hearing starts Monday.

But one of Parnell's attorneys told the AJC a long prison sentence will serve no good purpose: "He can't do any harm to society."

ExploreCheck out what else he said, what Parnell did and what experts say about the changing fate of white collar criminals in the AJC’s latest Unofficial Business column on myAJC.com.

About the Author

Matt Kempner

Matt Kempner is an award-winning journalist who seeks out intriguing twists about people and subjects beyond what the AJC might typically cover. A former columnist and editor, his past assignments have included business investigations, energy, the economy, entrepreneurs, big business, consumer spending, politics, government and the environment.

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