<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3c.org/TR/1999/REC-html401-19991224/loose.dtd">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.3243" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>Subject:</B> Los Angeles
Times: 3 firms charged in case of tainted pet food<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV><!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlStartT|**|-~--><FONT face=Tahoma size=2></FONT>
<DIV id=ygrp-mlmsg style="WIDTH: 655px; POSITION: relative">
<DIV id=ygrp-msg
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 15px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; Z-INDEX: 1; FLOAT: left; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; WIDTH: 490px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlEndT|**|-~-->
<DIV id=ygrp-text>
<P>From the Los Angeles Times<BR><BR>PRODUCT SAFETY<BR><BR>3 firms charged in
case of tainted pet food<BR>A Las Vegas importer and two Chinese companies
are<BR>indicted after thousands of dogs and cats died or<BR>became sick last
year.<BR>By Abigail Goldman<BR>Los Angeles Times Staff Writer<BR><BR>February 7,
2008<BR><BR>A Las Vegas food import company, two Chinese<BR>businesses and the
companies' top executives were<BR>indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury
in<BR>connection<BR>with their parts in a tainted-pet food scandal last<BR>year
that sickened or killed thousands of dogs and<BR>cats, the Justice Department
said.<BR><BR>The announcement by John F. Wood, U.S. attorney for<BR>the Western
District of Missouri, marks the first time<BR>that a domestic company has faced
criminal charges<BR>because melamine -- a chemical found in plastics that<BR>can
cause kidney failure in animals -- was added to<BR>shipments of wheat gluten, a
binding agent used<BR>in pet foods.<BR><BR>The pet food contamination crisis,
which prompted the<BR>recall of more than 60 million containers of dog
and<BR>cat food, was the first in a wave of product<BR>scares that alarmed the
American public about the<BR>quality of goods made in China.<BR><BR>Melamine can
artificially inflate the apparent protein<BR>content of food additives, allowing
exporters to use<BR>cheaper ingredients, the indictment said.<BR><BR>"In today's
global economy, crimes that occur halfway<BR>around the world can seriously
impact our lives," Wood<BR>said. "Millions of pet owners remember the<BR>anxiety
of last year's pet food recall. These<BR>indictments are the product of an
investigation that<BR>began in the wake of that recall."<BR><BR>ChemNutra Inc.,
which imports Chinese food and<BR>ingredients for distribution across the United
States,<BR>along with married owners Sally Qing Miller, 41, and<BR>Stephen S.
Miller, 55, were charged in a 27-count<BR>indictment with evading mandatory
inspections of the<BR>ingredients in China, delivering adulterated
food,<BR>misbranding food and conspiring to defraud the<BR>companies that
unknowingly bought the tainted<BR>ingredient. All but the conspiracy count
are<BR>misdemeanors.<BR><BR>"ChemNutra and Steve and Sally Miller deny in
the<BR>strongest of terms the allegations by the Department<BR>of Justice and
look forward to the opportunity to<BR>prove their innocence at trial," the
company said in a<BR>statement. "Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Miller had any
intent<BR>to defraud or any knowledge of wrongdoing."<BR><BR>Wood said the
felony count against ChemNutra and the<BR>Millers alleged that they knew the
Chinese exporters<BR>had put an incorrect product code on the exports<BR>--
allowing the shipment to leave China without the<BR>normal inspections of food
-- and didn't disclose that<BR>fact to their customers.<BR><BR>"We don't allege
that they knew that the wheat gluten<BR>was adulterated with the melamine," Wood
said in an<BR>interview. "But to convict, we don't have to show<BR>that they
knew. . . . You are responsible for the<BR>content of the food ingredients that
you're selling<BR>and therefore can be charged with the misdemeanor<BR>if you
distribute adulterated or misbranded food,<BR>regardless of whether you knew if
it was adulterated<BR>or misbranded."<BR><BR>In a separate case, the grand jury
returned a 26-count<BR>felony indictment against two Chinese companies
and<BR>their top executives, accusing them of intent<BR>to defraud and mislead,
delivering adulterated foods<BR>and falsely labeling wheat gluten to avoid
export<BR>inspection.<BR><BR>Those charges name Xuzhou Anying Biologic
Technology<BR>Development Co., a Chinese processor of plant<BR>proteins; Chinese
owner Mao Linzhun, age unknown,<BR>whose<BR>name is spelled Mao Lijun in Chinese
records; Suzhou<BR>Textiles, Silk, Light Industrial Products, Arts
&<BR>Crafts I/E Co., a Chinese export company; and its<BR>president, Chen
Zhenhao, 58, a Chinese national.<BR><BR>If convicted on all counts, the Chinese
nationals<BR>could face a maximum of 78 years in prison. The two<BR>Americans
could face as much as 31 years each behind<BR>bars -- five years for the felony
and one year for<BR>each misdemeanor charge.<BR><BR>Although the United States
does not have an<BR>extradition treaty with China, Wood said the
Justice<BR>Department would seek arrest warrants for Mao and Chen<BR>that could
be enforced should either man travel<BR>outside China. The indictment also could
prevent the<BR>companies from doing business with U.S. companies,<BR>Wood
said.<BR><BR>The Chinese government shut down Xuzhou Anying last<BR>year and
arrested Mao. Prior to his arrest, Mao said<BR>in an interview that he had done
nothing wrong.<BR>Wood said it was unclear if Mao was still in
custody.<BR><BR>Suzhou Textiles reportedly has denied involvement in<BR>the
case, and there is no indication that its company<BR>has been shut down or
anybody arrested. Businesses<BR>are closed for the Chinese new year holiday this
week,<BR>and no one answered the phone Wednesday at Suzhou<BR>Textiles' office
in Suzhou, an hour's drive from<BR>Shanghai.<BR><BR>For some pet owners, many of
whom were radicalized by<BR>the scandal as they grieved for sick and dying
animals<BR>or worried that pets could succumb to the toxins,<BR>the indictments
came as a surprise.<BR><BR>"I didn't think anyone in government thought it
was<BR>all that serious because it was 'just pets,' " said<BR>Christie Keith, a
contributing editor for<BR>PetConnection.<WBR>com,<BR>which last year became a
clearinghouse for information<BR>about the tainted food as well as a site
that<BR>thousands of pet owners turned to for moral support.<BR><BR>"Whether it
satisfies me or not depends on what<BR>happens," Keith added.<BR><BR>"If the
penalties end up being big enough or even if<BR>the process is onerous enough
that it can have a<BR>deterrent effect on companies both here and
overseas,<BR>then it might have a positive impact."<BR><BR>The problems with pet
food began last March, when Menu<BR>Foods Income Fund of Ontario, Canada,
launched a<BR>massive recall after receiving reports of sick and<BR>dying
animals.<BR><BR>More than 150 brands and more than 5,000 products were<BR>hit by
the recalls. Millions of chickens, 56,000 swine<BR>and an undetermined number of
fish may have<BR>eaten tainted feed.<BR><BR>Wood said the investigation into the
tainted<BR>ingredients is ongoing, meaning that other charges<BR>could
follow.<BR><BR><A
href="mailto:abigail.goldman%40latimes.com">abigail.goldman@<WBR>latimes.com</A><BR>Times
staff writer Don Lee in Shanghai contributed to<BR>this
report.<BR><BR>latimes.com<BR><A
href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-petfood7feb07,0,25324.story">http://www.latimes.<WBR>com/business/<WBR>la-fi-petfood7fe<WBR>b07,0,25324.<WBR>story</A><BR>Copyright
2008 Los Angeles Times
|<BR><BR>____________<WBR>_________<WBR>_________<WBR>_________<WBR>_________<WBR>_________<WBR>_<BR>Looking
for last minute shopping deals? <BR>Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. <A
href="http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping">http://tools.<WBR>search.yahoo.<WBR>com/newsearch/<WBR>category.<WBR>php?category=<WBR>shopping</A><BR></P></DIV><!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlStart|**|-~--><SPAN
style="COLOR: white" width="1">__._,_.___</SPAN> <!-- Start the section with Message In topic -->
<DIV id=ygrp-actbar><SPAN class=left><A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop/message/729;_ylc=X3oDMTMycTRoZjltBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BG1zZ0lkAzcyOQRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawN2dHBjBHN0aW1lAzEyMDI0MDAzMDEEdHBjSWQDNzI5">Messages
in this topic </A>(<SPAN class=bld>1</SPAN>) </SPAN><A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJvNzZxZmQzBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BG1zZ0lkAzcyOQRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNycGx5BHN0aW1lAzEyMDI0MDAzMDE-?act=reply&messageNum=729"><SPAN
class=bld>Reply </SPAN>(via web post) </A>| <A class=bld
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJlazZnOWw5BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA250cGMEc3RpbWUDMTIwMjQwMDMwMQ--">Start
a new topic </A></DIV><!------- Start Nav Bar ------><!-- |**|begin egp html banner|**| -->
<DIV id=ygrp-vitnav><A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop/messages;_ylc=X3oDMTJlOXNkbGR0BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA21zZ3MEc3RpbWUDMTIwMjQwMDMwMQ--">Messages</A>
</DIV><!-- |**|end egp html banner|**| -->
<DIV id=ygrp-grft><!-- |**|begin egp html banner|**| -->For guide dog handlers
assisting guide dog handlers with advocacy/education--
visit:<BR>www.gdui.org or www.nfb-nagdu.org <!-- |**|end egp html banner|**| --></DIV><!-- yahoo logo --><!-- |**|begin egp html banner|**| -->
<DIV id=ygrp-ft><A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJkY2c4cWttBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA2dmcARzdGltZQMxMjAyNDAwMzAx"><IMG
height=15 alt="Yahoo! Groups"
src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/yg/img/logo/ma_grp_160.gif" width=106
border=0 NOSEND="1"></A> <BR><A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop/join;_ylc=X3oDMTJmaGk1NWUzBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA3N0bmdzBHN0aW1lAzEyMDI0MDAzMDE-">Change
settings via the Web</A> (Yahoo! ID required) <BR>Change settings via email: <A
href="mailto:K9Scoop-digest@yahoogroups.com?subject=Email Delivery: Digest">Switch
delivery to Daily Digest</A> | <A
href="mailto:K9Scoop-traditional@yahoogroups.com?subject=Change Delivery Format: Traditional">Switch
format to Traditional</A> <BR><A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop;_ylc=X3oDMTJkazZwbmwxBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA2hwZgRzdGltZQMxMjAyNDAwMzAx">Visit
Your Group </A>| <A href="http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/">Yahoo! Groups Terms
of Use </A>| <A
href="mailto:K9Scoop-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=">Unsubscribe
</A></DIV><!-- |**|end egp html banner|**| --></DIV><!-- ygrp-msg --><!-- Sponsor --><!-- |**|begin egp html banner|**| -->
<DIV id=ygrp-sponsor
style="CLEAR: none; RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: white; FLOAT: left; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 25px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; WIDTH: 140px; POSITION: absolute; TOP: 0px"><!-- Network content --><!-- Start vitality -->
<DIV id=ygrp-vital><A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop;_ylc=X3oDMTJlbmhlb2ptBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwN2dGwEc2xrA3ZnaHAEc3RpbWUDMTIwMjQwMDMwMQ--">Visit
Your Group </A></DIV><!-- Network content -->
<DIV id=nc>
<DIV class=ad>
<DIV id=hd1>Moderator Central</DIV>
<P><A
href="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=13ojg1blj/M=493064.12016262.12445669.8674578/D=groups/S=1707505247:NC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1202407501/L=/B=k3TACkLaX.w-/J=1202400301923912/A=5028925/R=0/SIG=11e3tma2a/*http://new.groups.yahoo.com/moderatorcentral">Yahoo!
Groups</A></P>
<P>Get the latest news</P>
<P>from the team.</P></DIV>
<DIV class=ad>
<DIV id=hd1>Sitebuilder</DIV>
<P><A
href="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=13osrla61/M=493064.12016255.12445662.8674578/D=groups/S=1707505247:NC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1202407501/L=/B=lHTACkLaX.w-/J=1202400301923912/A=4025304/R=0/SIG=12uhb64pb/*http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=44092/*http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/webhosting/sitebuilding.php">Build
a web site</A></P>
<P>quickly & easily</P>
<P>with Sitebuilder.</P></DIV>
<DIV class=ad>
<DIV id=hd1>Dog Groups</DIV>
<P><A
href="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=13o5uat32/M=493064.12016263.12445670.8674578/D=groups/S=1707505247:NC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1202407501/L=/B=lXTACkLaX.w-/J=1202400301923912/A=4836042/R=0/SIG=11o19ppl5/*http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/dogzone/index.html">on
Yahoo! Groups</A></P>
<P>discuss everything</P>
<P>related to dogs.</P></DIV></DIV></DIV><!-- |**|end egp html banner|**| -->
<DIV style="CLEAR: both; FONT-SIZE: 1px; COLOR: #fff">.</DIV></DIV><IMG height=1
src="http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=7074252/grpspId=1707505247/msgId=729/stime=1202400301/nc1=5028925/nc2=4025304/nc3=4836042"
width=1 NOSEND="1"> <BR><SPAN style="COLOR: white">__,_._,___</SPAN> <!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlEnd|**|-~--><!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlStart|**|-~-->
<STYLE type=text/css>#ygrp-mkp {
BORDER-RIGHT: #d8d8d8 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 14px; BORDER-TOP: #d8d8d8 1px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 14px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 14px 0px; BORDER-LEFT: #d8d8d8 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d8d8d8 1px solid; FONT-FAMILY: Arial
}
#ygrp-mkp HR {
BORDER-RIGHT: #d8d8d8 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #d8d8d8 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #d8d8d8 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d8d8d8 1px solid
}
#ygrp-mkp #hd {
FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 85%; MARGIN: 10px 0px; COLOR: #628c2a; LINE-HEIGHT: 122%
}
#ygrp-mkp #ads {
MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10px
}
#ygrp-mkp .ad {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
#ygrp-mkp .ad A {
COLOR: #0000ff; TEXT-DECORATION: none
}
</STYLE>
<STYLE type=text/css>#ygrp-sponsor #ygrp-lc {
FONT-FAMILY: Arial
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ygrp-lc #hd {
FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 78%; MARGIN: 10px 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 122%
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ygrp-lc .ad {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
</STYLE>
<STYLE type=text/css>#ygrp-mlmsg {
FONT-SIZE: small; FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif
}
#ygrp-mlmsg TABLE {
}
#ygrp-mlmsg SELECT {
FONT: 99% arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif
}
INPUT {
FONT: 99% arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif
}
TEXTAREA {
FONT: 99% arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif
}
#ygrp-mlmsg PRE {
FONT: 100% monospace
}
CODE {
FONT: 100% monospace
}
#ygrp-mlmsg {
LINE-HEIGHT: 1.22em
}
#ygrp-text {
FONT-FAMILY: Georgia
}
#ygrp-text P {
MARGIN: 0px 0px 1em
}
#ygrp-tpmsgs {
CLEAR: both; FONT-FAMILY: Arial
}
#ygrp-vitnav {
FONT-SIZE: 77%; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana
}
#ygrp-vitnav A {
PADDING-RIGHT: 1px; PADDING-LEFT: 1px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
#ygrp-actbar {
CLEAR: both; MARGIN: 25px 0px; COLOR: #666; WHITE-SPACE: nowrap; TEXT-ALIGN: right
}
#ygrp-actbar .left {
FLOAT: left; WHITE-SPACE: nowrap
}
.bld {
FONT-WEIGHT: bold
}
#ygrp-grft {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 77%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 15px; PADDING-TOP: 15px; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana
}
#ygrp-ft {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: #666 1px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 77%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; PADDING-TOP: 5px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana
}
#ygrp-mlmsg #logo {
PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px
}
#ygrp-vital {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 8px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 20px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 8px; PADDING-TOP: 2px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e0ecee
}
#ygrp-vital #vithd {
FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 77%; TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase; COLOR: #333; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana
}
#ygrp-vital UL {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 2px 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
#ygrp-vital UL LI {
CLEAR: both; BORDER-RIGHT: #e0ecee 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #e0ecee 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #e0ecee 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #e0ecee 1px solid; LIST-STYLE-TYPE: none
}
#ygrp-vital UL LI .ct {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0.5em; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FLOAT: right; WIDTH: 2em; COLOR: #ff7900; TEXT-ALIGN: right
}
#ygrp-vital UL LI .cat {
FONT-WEIGHT: bold
}
#ygrp-vital A {
TEXT-DECORATION: none
}
#ygrp-vital A:hover {
TEXT-DECORATION: underline
}
#ygrp-sponsor #hd {
FONT-SIZE: 77%; COLOR: #999
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ov {
PADDING-RIGHT: 13px; PADDING-LEFT: 13px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 20px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 6px; PADDING-TOP: 6px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e0ecee
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ov UL {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 8px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ov LI {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 77%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 6px; PADDING-TOP: 6px; LIST-STYLE-TYPE: square
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ov LI A {
FONT-SIZE: 130%; TEXT-DECORATION: none
}
#ygrp-sponsor #nc {
PADDING-RIGHT: 8px; PADDING-LEFT: 8px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 20px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #eee
}
#ygrp-sponsor .ad {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 8px; PADDING-TOP: 8px
}
#ygrp-sponsor .ad #hd1 {
FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 100%; COLOR: #628c2a; LINE-HEIGHT: 122%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial
}
#ygrp-sponsor .ad A {
TEXT-DECORATION: none
}
#ygrp-sponsor .ad A:hover {
TEXT-DECORATION: underline
}
#ygrp-sponsor .ad P {
MARGIN: 0px
}
o {
FONT-SIZE: 0px
}
.MsoNormal {
MARGIN: 0px
}
#ygrp-text TT {
FONT-SIZE: 120%
}
BLOCKQUOTE {
MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 4px
}
.replbq {
}
</STYLE>
<!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlEnd|**|-~--><!--End group email --></BODY></HTML>