Comments on: The Melamine Scandal: Sentencing http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/the-melamine-scandal-sentencing/4251 grow in understanding Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:04:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: diedmarch172007 http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/the-melamine-scandal-sentencing/4251/comment-page-1#comment-4671 diedmarch172007 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:53:36 +0000 http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/?p=4251#comment-4671 The Millers pay 5 grand each, the Chemnutra company pays 25 grand, insurance covered, for a total of 35 thousand dollars. Paid to the court. No jail. The wholesale slaughter of pets is a profitable business. And entirely legal. A last minute switcheroony of the judge means that none of the letters or emails that so many pet owners cried while writing ever mattered and may not have even been read. The Millers will be having champagne, flavored with the tears of grieving pet owners , in their luxury home in Las Vegas tonight. The Millers pay 5 grand each, the Chemnutra company pays 25 grand, insurance covered, for a total of 35 thousand dollars.
Paid to the court.
No jail.

The wholesale slaughter of pets is a profitable business. And entirely legal.
A last minute switcheroony of the judge means that none of the letters or emails that so many pet owners cried while writing ever mattered and may not have even been read.

The Millers will be having champagne, flavored with the tears of grieving pet owners , in their luxury home in Las Vegas tonight.

]]> By: FelineDadinFla http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/the-melamine-scandal-sentencing/4251/comment-page-1#comment-4656 FelineDadinFla Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:03:14 +0000 http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/?p=4251#comment-4656 Yes, the mail I sent to the Deputy Martinez e-address came back. The mail I sent here : dchelp@mow.uscourts.gov didn't. Yes, the mail I sent to the Deputy Martinez e-address came back. The mail I sent here : dchelp@mow.uscourts.gov didn’t.

]]> By: diedmarch172007 http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/the-melamine-scandal-sentencing/4251/comment-page-1#comment-4655 diedmarch172007 Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:25:13 +0000 http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/?p=4251#comment-4655 Reports are arriving that the Martinez email is sending auto replies of being out of the office until Feb 8th. Very convenient. Reports are arriving that the Martinez email is sending auto replies of being out of the office until Feb 8th.

Very convenient.

]]> By: diedmarch172007 http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/the-melamine-scandal-sentencing/4251/comment-page-1#comment-4653 diedmarch172007 Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:29:10 +0000 http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/?p=4251#comment-4653 Don't forget to write the probation office! They keep records for a long time. Don’t forget to write the probation office! They keep records for a long time.

]]> By: FelineDadinFla http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/the-melamine-scandal-sentencing/4251/comment-page-1#comment-4650 FelineDadinFla Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:24:50 +0000 http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/?p=4251#comment-4650 i'm incorrect, the 5th is Friday, not today. Has anyone been able to get a fax # ?.... i’m incorrect, the 5th is Friday, not today. Has anyone been able to get a fax # ?….

]]> By: WereBear http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/the-melamine-scandal-sentencing/4251/comment-page-1#comment-4649 WereBear Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:46:30 +0000 http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/?p=4251#comment-4649 FelineDadinFla is right. I just sent off a short, but heartfelt, letter. I urge everyone reading this to do so. FelineDadinFla is right. I just sent off a short, but heartfelt, letter. I urge everyone reading this to do so.

]]> By: FelineDadinFla http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/the-melamine-scandal-sentencing/4251/comment-page-1#comment-4648 FelineDadinFla Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:24:56 +0000 http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/?p=4251#comment-4648 Posting comments on a blog like this (or any) today is of no value or consequence, whatever amount of grief you're enduring or had to endure. However -- you can still do something ... but it must be done today because it's now too late to travel to Kansas City or send mail there. The statement "gift of a deal offered by the court" is incorrect. The "gift of a deal" you reference is the sentencing recommendation made by the US Attorney to the court, not by the court/judge. The judge hands down his sentencing decision tomorrow Feb 5th. He can pass sentence as recommended by the US Attorney ... or he can make his own decision. So this is what you can do today : The name of the judge is John T. Maughmer. His courtroom deputy is a Kerry Martinez with an e-address of kerry_martinez@mow.uscourts.gov Write a letter to the judge care of Deputy Kerry Martinez. Make it respectful, on the shorter side, clear, yes go ahead and make it emotional (but also factually correct). Tell the judge what you've been through the last three to four years. Also, the e-address of the District Court or General Information is dchelp@mow.uscourts.gov . Send it there as well to the attention Judge Maughmer. Posting comments on a blog like this (or any) today is of no value or consequence, whatever amount of grief you’re enduring or had to endure.
However — you can still do something … but it must be done today because it’s now too late to travel to Kansas City or send mail there. The statement “gift of a deal offered by the court” is incorrect. The “gift of a deal” you reference is the sentencing recommendation made by the US Attorney to the court, not by the court/judge. The judge hands down his sentencing decision tomorrow Feb 5th. He can pass sentence as recommended by the US Attorney … or he can make his own decision.
So this is what you can do today : The name of the judge is John T. Maughmer. His courtroom deputy is a Kerry Martinez with an e-address of kerry_martinez@mow.uscourts.gov Write a letter to the judge care of Deputy Kerry Martinez. Make it respectful, on the shorter side, clear, yes go ahead and make it emotional (but also factually correct). Tell the judge what you’ve been through the last three to four years.
Also, the e-address of the District Court or General Information is dchelp@mow.uscourts.gov . Send it there as well to the attention Judge Maughmer.

]]> By: diedmarch172007 http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/the-melamine-scandal-sentencing/4251/comment-page-1#comment-4647 diedmarch172007 Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:26:46 +0000 http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/?p=4251#comment-4647 The dying has been going on in my house for over three years! It isn't over yet, I go to sleep every damn day after caring for damaged pets, wake to the grim reality of paying the vet bills, the three years of- interest -on the vet bills for the pets who died three years ago, worry about how to pay the bills for the pets who still struggle and honey, let me tell you, cremation expenses aint cheap either. My pets got a death sentence and I have already served three years of hard, horrid labor and grief so yeah, a little justice would be a nice change. Considering the gift of a deal offered by the court I figure the fix is in and the bribes were hefty because mere peasant pet owners sure have not been gifted thus, see the classic screw job the class action lawyers are doing on the pet owners. The pet food apocalypse that the Millers inflicted on all of us has been a nightmare for three years , how long is it going to go on while the poisoners skate!!?? That the poisoners have a newly named company to do it AGAIN is not good news for anyone. The Millers seem to have had a more pleasant and profitable three years than I had. Or the people nursing kidney failure pets , paying astounding vet bills, grieving the lost. I can't call it closure that the federal courts are as easy to buy off as the FDA but it certainly is the end of something. Sad. The dying has been going on in my house for over three years! It isn’t over yet,
I go to sleep every damn day after caring for damaged pets, wake to the grim reality of paying the vet bills, the three years of- interest -on the vet bills for the pets who died three years ago, worry about how to pay the bills for the pets who still struggle and honey, let me tell you, cremation expenses aint cheap either.
My pets got a death sentence and I have already served three years of hard, horrid labor and grief so yeah, a little justice would be a nice change. Considering the gift of a deal offered by the court I figure the fix is in and the bribes were hefty because mere peasant pet owners sure have not been gifted thus, see the classic screw job the class action lawyers are doing on the pet owners.

The pet food apocalypse that the Millers inflicted on all of us has been a nightmare for three years , how long is it going to go on while the poisoners skate!!??
That the poisoners have a newly named company to do it AGAIN is not good news for anyone.
The Millers seem to have had a more pleasant and profitable three years than I had. Or the people nursing kidney failure pets , paying astounding vet bills, grieving the lost.
I can’t call it closure that the federal courts are as easy to buy off as the FDA but it certainly is the end of something.
Sad.

]]> By: Dan http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/the-melamine-scandal-sentencing/4251/comment-page-1#comment-4641 Dan Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:53:28 +0000 http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/?p=4251#comment-4641 Unother DJ, you need to get your facts straight. One thing you said is accurate, it is standard practice and has been for quite some time to receive contaminated goods from China. So if thats accurate, which it is and you agree, why in the world would the Millers have wheat gluten shipped to the U.S. marked as non-food? It was to avoid inspection. Where was their testing and QC to make sure the item they were receiving wasnt contaminated? Melamine is not a new chemical and Sally Miller originally based in China would have known that. Your statement saying contaminated dairy product did not reach the U.S. is totally false. It DID reach the U.S., go read all the FDA recall and import notices. There were several recalls of not only baby formula but also cookies, biscuits and candy. The items were sent to stores that mostly sell China baby formula, etc. And to blame pet owners for the deaths of their pets is really just disgusting. They fed products that were allowed to be marketed as safe, healthy and nutritious and certainly not contaminated with melamine and cyanuric acid. You are right in that China is part of the problem BUT if we all know that, and we do, including the pet food manufactures AND importers, there is no excuse that they werent on the lookout for this type of problem and sadly, they still arent because they avoid the proper testing and quality control measures that would help ensure this doesnt happen again. Its called saving money to maximize their profit. Heres a couple of pics showing what contaminated wheat gluten looked like. http://www.labservices.uoguelph.ca/urgent.cfm It didnt even take testing to see something was wrong with it. So for some reason Chem-Nutra couldnt even just look at it and wonder why it didnt look normal? What about Menu Foods who received it from Chem-Nutra who for some reason has been let off the hook on all of this. So Im guessing you didnt have a pet harmed or killed from this food because if you did, I can guess you wouldnt be singing the defense song for Chem-Nutra...or if you still did, you may not feel as strongly about your pet as I did. You are right about the Millers, bastards yes, poor no. Unother DJ, you need to get your facts straight. One thing you said is accurate, it is standard practice and has been for quite some time to receive contaminated goods from China. So if thats accurate, which it is and you agree, why in the world would the Millers have wheat gluten shipped to the U.S. marked as non-food? It was to avoid inspection. Where was their testing and QC to make sure the item they were receiving wasnt contaminated? Melamine is not a new chemical and Sally Miller originally based in China would have known that.

Your statement saying contaminated dairy product did not reach the U.S. is totally false. It DID reach the U.S., go read all the FDA recall and import notices. There were several recalls of not only baby formula but also cookies, biscuits and candy. The items were sent to stores that mostly sell China baby formula, etc.

And to blame pet owners for the deaths of their pets is really just disgusting. They fed products that were allowed to be marketed as safe, healthy and nutritious and certainly not contaminated with melamine and cyanuric acid. You are right in that China is part of the problem BUT if we all know that, and we do, including the pet food manufactures AND importers, there is no excuse that they werent on the lookout for this type of problem and sadly, they still arent because they avoid the proper testing and quality control measures that would help ensure this doesnt happen again. Its called saving money to maximize their profit.

Heres a couple of pics showing what contaminated wheat gluten looked like. http://www.labservices.uoguelph.ca/urgent.cfm
It didnt even take testing to see something was wrong with it. So for some reason Chem-Nutra couldnt even just look at it and wonder why it didnt look normal? What about Menu Foods who received it from Chem-Nutra who for some reason has been let off the hook on all of this.

So Im guessing you didnt have a pet harmed or killed from this food because if you did, I can guess you wouldnt be singing the defense song for Chem-Nutra…or if you still did, you may not feel as strongly about your pet as I did. You are right about the Millers, bastards yes, poor no.

]]> By: Offplanet http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/the-melamine-scandal-sentencing/4251/comment-page-1#comment-4636 Offplanet Sun, 31 Jan 2010 13:51:04 +0000 http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/?p=4251#comment-4636 It appears the Millers are raising objections to part(s) of their complaint/sentencing agreement: "These plea agreement terms foreclose the defendants from raising the factual objections which are currently before the court. Every factual objection can be traced to one or more allegations in the indictment which the defendants either admitted was true or agreed could be used to determine their sentence. By raising these objections, the defendants could be viewed as being in breach of the terms of the plea agreement. In case of breach, the Government is released from its obligations under the agreement, the defendants remain bound by their guilty pleas, and the defendants are sentenced without the benefit of the promises made by the Government.5" I hope they don't agree to withdraw their objections. Why? It's then the onus of the Court to give them what they deserve.. not the disgusting wrist slap they were offered. The plea agreement is as horrific to me as the poisoning of the pets. I WANT to see them go to trial or at least pay a substantial penalty and have a longer probation. If our government doesn't have the balls to punish those who commit such acts as excerpted below from the docketed Government Sentencing Memorandum, how do they expect this type of adulterating food for profit to the determent of humans or animals cease? ( "Because of the neglect of these defendants, because they failed to exercise foresight and vigilance, the public suffered greatly. Thousands of innocent pets became seriously ill and many suffered death. It is impossible to talk about this case without realizing that the defendant’s criminal conduct posed and caused substantial physical injuries, death, and psychological injuries.") Per the Docket entry, Chem Nutra ceased operation , but the Millers went right on with EOS Direct - importing from China with no obvious restrictions or restraints. http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/Buyers-Guide.aspx?li=64675 Are you holding your breath? Does this remove all the truth in advertising we had come to trust? Never again. this is a "Natural Products" advertisement. Track records are apparently worthless when it comes to marketing & advertising. It appears the Millers are raising objections to part(s) of their complaint/sentencing agreement:

“These plea agreement terms foreclose the defendants from raising the factual objections which are currently before the court. Every factual objection can be traced to one or more allegations in the indictment which the defendants either admitted was true or agreed could be used
to determine their sentence. By raising these objections, the defendants could be viewed as being in breach of the terms of the plea agreement. In case of breach, the Government is released from its obligations under the agreement, the defendants remain bound by their guilty pleas, and the defendants are sentenced without the benefit of the promises made by the Government.5″

I hope they don’t agree to withdraw their objections. Why? It’s then the onus of the Court to give them what they deserve.. not the disgusting wrist slap they were offered. The plea agreement is as horrific to me as the poisoning of the pets. I WANT to see them go to trial or at least pay a substantial penalty and have a longer probation.

If our government doesn’t have the balls to punish those who commit such acts as excerpted below from the docketed Government Sentencing Memorandum, how do they expect this type of adulterating food for profit to the determent of humans or animals cease?

( “Because of the neglect of these defendants, because they failed to exercise foresight and vigilance, the public suffered greatly. Thousands of innocent pets became seriously ill and many suffered death. It is impossible to talk about this case without realizing that the defendant’s criminal conduct posed and caused substantial physical injuries, death, and psychological injuries.”)

Per the Docket entry, Chem Nutra ceased operation , but the Millers went right on with EOS Direct – importing from China with no obvious restrictions or restraints.

http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/Buyers-Guide.aspx?li=64675

Are you holding your breath? Does this remove all the truth in advertising we had come to trust? Never again. this is a “Natural Products” advertisement.

Track records are apparently worthless when it comes to marketing & advertising.

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