DOJ announces bribery charges filed against North Texas federal produce inspector
A Mansfield man has been indicted on federal charges that he submitted false inspection reports in his role as a federal produce inspector in exchange for bribes, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Timothy Peppel, 68, is charged with accepting bribes from American Fresh Produce, a wholesale produce company, from $1,000 to $1,500 each week, according to the news release. Peppel, in exchange for the bribes, downgraded the produce American Fresh Produce wanted to buy to reduce the cost.
In his role as a federal produce inspector, Peppel was responsible for inspecting produce and providing reports of those inspections to companies buying and selling produce, according to the DOJ. The bribes started shortly after Peppel started performing inspections of American Fresh Produce.
He’s been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and receiving bribes by a public officer, along with five counts of honest services wire fraud and one count of receiving a bribe by a public official, according to the news release.
Peppel could face up to 20 years in prison on each count of honest services wire fraud, five years on the conspiracy charge and 15 years on the charge of receiving bribe by a public official, plus restitution.