Felony charges against former Blue Bell Creameries CEO dismissed after 2015 listeria outbreak

HOUSTON – The criminal case against former Blue Bell Creameries CEO Paul Kruse has melted.

In May, Kruse was charged with seven felonies including conspiracy, wire fraud and attempted wire fraud in the 2015 listeria outbreak that killed multiple people. Channel 2 Investigates learned Wednesday that those charges have all been dismissed by a federal judge in Austin. Had he been convicted, his charges carried a potential 20 year federal prison sentence and a $250,000 fine on each convicted charge.

The judge dismissed the case for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. It’s been a rocky road for Kruse since the outbreak and he previously pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of distributing adulterated ice cream products.

“Mr. Kruse appreciates the Court’s decision to grant his motion to dismiss the case for lack of jurisdiction. We believe any additional attempts to charge Mr. Kruse will be untimely. Hopefully, the federal government can re-allocate their resources to more pressing matters during these trying times,” Kruse’s lawyer Chris Flood wrote in a statement Wednesday.

Read more: https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2020/07/15/felony-charges-dropped-against-former-blue-bell-creameries-ceo-in-2015-listeria-outbreak-case/