Cantaloupe Controversy

Owners of Jensen farms in Holly, Colo., pleaded guilty to six charges of misdemeanors and could face up to $1.5 million in fines.

Two Colorado farmers pleaded guilty Tuesday to growing cantaloupes linked to the 2011 listeria outbreak that killed 33 people. 

Brothers Eric and Ryan Jensen submitted their pleas after being charged with six misdemeanors.

Officials said the contaminated fruit was found in 28 states and hospitalized 147 people. There has been speculation however about the true intention of the Jensen brothers pleas. Some sources say the brothers were unaware of their cantaloupes were contaminated, and now seek to right this wrong. "These young men are stepping up because it happened on their watch," said Forrest Lewis, lawyer for Eric Jensen. 

Still other sources claim the plea is a calculated measure in order for the brothers to receive a reduced sentence. The brothers, who already went bankrupt after the outbreak, face charges of $1.5 million and six years in prison. According to at least one source, attorneys from the government will not pursue any additional criminal charges against the brothers, in exchange for their plea. The case seems to be a hard message meant to target and make an example of the Jensen brothers.

In what the CDC has called, “the deadliest foodborne disease outbreak in the United States in nearly 90 years,”  govenrment officials seem to have done very little to pursue Primus Labs, the company in charge of inspecting Jensen farms. The Jensens argue a new processing system used by the auditor was one of the main causes of missing this outbreak, and led to widespread sale of the diseased melons.