Jackson, Miss - Alfred Thornhill, 41, of Wesson, Mississippi, pled guilty on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III, to tampering with a consumer product, announced U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis and Patrick Munday, Acting Special Agent in Charge, USDA - Office of Inspector General (OIG).
Thornhill was employed at a dairy farm near Crystal Springs, Mississippi, when he poured chlorine, acid and bleach into a stainless steel container of milk right after the milk had been collected from the cows on March 28, 2014. The toxic chemicals were discovered in the milk by the farm’s owner just before the milk was to be picked up for transportation to a distribution center in New Orleans. The contents of the caustic agents were confirmed by a lab analysis conducted at Mississippi State University.
According to evidence disclosed during the guilty plea hearing, Thornhill confessed to USDA-OIG Special Agents that he poisoned the milk because he was angry at the dairy farm owner and intended to ruin the milk in order to financially harm the dairy farmer.
Acting USDA-OIG Special Agent in Charge Patrick Munday stated: "USDA-OIG is committed to identifying individuals committing these types of senseless acts that could potentially affect the health and well-being of the American public and seek prosecutions to the fullest extent of the law. This case was conducted jointly with the Mississippi Agriculture Theft Bureau and is an example of the results we can achieve by working with our law enforcement partners."
Thornhill will be sentenced on Jan. 19, 2016 at 9:00 am by U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan, III. He faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, as well as payment of restitution to the dairy farm.
This case was investigated by the USDA- OIG and the Mississippi Agriculture Theft Bureau. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Scott Gilbert.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
