We now have the full story behind the largest-ever organic fraud prosecution in the U.S.
The largest organic food fraud case in U.S. history concluded in August 2019, when Randy Constant, accused of passing off at least $142 million in conventionally grown grain as organic, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning days later. This week, The New Yorker has a deep dive into Constant’s intricate scheme and its slow unraveling. It’s a richly detailed account of the way organic certification is regulated—including the vulnerabilities Constant was able to exploit—with some surprising detours through a prison-grown tilapia operation and long nights in Vegas.
