USDA Bars Hunts Point Tropicals for Failure to Pay $1,216,739

<p>The U.S. Department of Agriculture has barred Bronx, N.Y.-based Hunts Point Tropicals Inc. for failure to pay to pay $1,216,739 to 43 sellers for 435 lots of produce in violation of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA), according to a release.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Consequently, the company cannot operate in the produce industry until June 21, 2015, when time it may apply for a PACA license.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Company principal, Nessim Martinez, may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee until June 21, 2014, and then only with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>USDA is required to publish the finding that a business has committed willful, repeated, and flagrant violations of PACA as well as impose restrictions against those responsibly connected to the business during the violation period. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateA&amp;navID=Home&amp;topNav=Home&amp;page=Home&amp;acct=AMSPW" target="_new">AMS </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">