The most serious charges against the former CEO of Blue Bell Creameries have been dropped in exchange for his guilty plea to a misdemeanor, which carries a fine. Paul Kruse, the former CEO of Blue Bell, has struck a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice around three years after he was initially prosecuted for his involvement in the 2015 listeria outbreak. When multiple instances of listeriosis were linked to several of Blue Bell Creameries’ products, Cruise was in charge of the company at the time.
Listeria monocytogenes was discovered in samples from the firm’s South Carolina factory, and NHS authorities alerted the company of the discovery. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention later connected the listeriosis cases to the company’s ice cream products.
Blue Bell issued two product recalls in March 2015, but it wasn’t until the end of April that the company issued an all-product recall and shut down the production for sanitization. When the corporation started abruptly pulling various products from stores, hospitals, and schools, it was charged with failing to tell distributors, retailers, and the general public.
There were concerns about Cruise’s involvement in the settlement when Blue Bell’s current CEO, Richard Dickson, testified in court during Cruise’s most recent trial in 2022. He said his then-boss informed him “we’re not quite ready” to divulge the issue.
The former CEO’s most recent trial, on five counts of fraud and one count of conspiracy, took place in August 2022. However, because the jury was unable to agree on a verdict, the case was declared unfair. Although a second trial is set for April 2023, the case against Cruise as the former president of Blue Bell is already closed thanks to the agreement between the prosecution and Cruise.