January 28, 2014 - 10:53 AM
DENVER - Two Colorado cantaloupe farmers who pleaded guilty to misdemeanour charges stemming from a deadly listeria outbreak in 2011 have been sentenced to five years of probation and six months of home detention.
A federal magistrate in Denver on Tuesday also ordered brothers Eric and Ryan Jensen to each pay $150,000 in restitution and perform 100 hours of community service.
Each read a statement but didn't show any emotion during the hearing.
They pleaded guilty last year to counts of introducing adulterated food into interstate commerce.
Relatives of seven of the 33 people killed in the outbreak testified during the sentencing hearing, with some asking for probation but others seeking prison time for the brothers.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014