Sentencing postponed in Rancho Feeding slaughterhouse scandal

A federal judge has postponed the sentencing of a former Petaluma slaughterhouse owner who admitted a scheme to process diseased cattle, leading to the recall of 8.7 million pounds of tainted meat.

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer agreed to the two-month delay so Jesse “Babe” Amaral Jr., 77, can have more time to settle $20 million in civil claims and assist with his ailing wife’s relocation to Cloverdale, court documents show.

Amaral, who faces up to five years in prison, had been scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 16. At his request, the judge reset the hearing for Feb. 10, but cautioned Amaral to “be prepared to surrender at that time.”

In court papers, Amaral’s attorney said he was in settlement negotiations with Ruiz Food Products Inc., Custom Food LLC and RBR Meat Corp.. The three companies sued Amaral for losses suffered in the recall.

The attorney, Michael Dias, said he believed he could resolve the claims in 60 days. Amaral has sold all of his real estate and intends to “make the victims whole to the best of his ability” before his sentencing, Dias said.

“I would like to show the court that I acknowledge my role in the offense and I have taken every step I can to reduce the victims’ damages,” Amaral said in a separate declaration.

Also, he explained he needed more time to move his wife from their home of 30 years. She suffered a shoulder injury and needs his help in her recovery, he said. “This is a difficult task since my health is poor also,” Amaral said in the papers.

The continuance came over objections from federal prosecutors. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hartley West said Amaral admitted federal charges in 2014 and has postponed sentencing twice already. His original sentencing was set for July.

West said the delay prolongs the “uncertainty and anxiety” of three other Rancho defendants who admitted charges in the case. Eugene Corda, Felix Cabrera and Robert Singleton are scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 20, but that date is expected to be changed.

The 2014 recall was ordered after U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors discovered Rancho was slaughtering cattle with eye cancer and passing it off as fit for consumption.

Amaral, Cabrera and Corda were named in an 11-count indictment that accused them of removing condemned stamps from unhealthy cows without telling inspectors.

Singleton, the owner of Rancho Veal, was charged separately with distributing adulterated or misbranded meat. He pleaded guilty last year and has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ppayne.