WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has filed an administrative complaint under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) against Virginio Moreno d/b/a Freshpack Distribution.
According to a recent USDA press release, the individual, operating from Texas, and doing business as Freshpack Distribution, allegedly failed to make payment to two produce sellers in the amount of $219,574 from November 2013 through December 2014.
Virginio Moreno will have an opportunity to request a hearing. Should USDA find that the company committed repeated and flagrant violations, it would be barred from the produce industry for two years. Furthermore, its principal could not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee for one year and then only with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond.
In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 3,500 PACA claims involving more than $58 million. Its experts also assisted more than 8,000 callers with issues valued at approximately $140 million. These are just two examples of how USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.
