<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;line-height:130%"> Birmingham, AL</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By ANUK Staff<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">3.22.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Two Adams Produce Company executives have had their sentencing dates locked down this week after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Former Director of Purchasing David Kirkland at Adams Produce, which shut down and filed for bankruptcy last year, plead guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Abdul Kallon in Birmingham. Kallon set June 27 as the sentencing date for Kirkland, which could land him up to five years in prison.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">He agreed to testify against other former employees of the bankrupt company.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Court documents note that certain Adams employees resorted to fraud involving contracts the company had with the U.S. government to provide fruit and vegetables for military bases and schools, on the heels of the company's financial problems.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Adams CEO Scott Grinstead could face up to 25 years in prison and fines up to $700,000 on top of the $450,000 he agreed to pay to the 400 former employees who lost their jobs when the company went under.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Grinstead was originally to enter his guilty pleas to fraud this Thursday, but was granted a delay until April 17th.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/03/former_adams_produce_co_purcha.html" target="_new">Adams Produce</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
