Jonathan Weston, previously employed with U.S. egg producer Hillandale Farms as an accountant, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and tax fraud on August 23, 2022.
In court, Weston admitted to embezzling, with help from his late personal secretary, $6.8 million from the egg producer between October 2005 and January 2019. Weston laundered the stolen money through businesses the two employees operated to pay for multiple cars, real estate and other personal expenditures, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Pennsylvania.
During the case, it was revealed that Weston either failed to file or filed false federal personal income tax returns between 2013 and 2018. Later, Weston filed a false income tax return in which he underreported approximately $566,000 in stolen revenue. After further investigation, the court found that Weston owed almost $1.2 million in taxes to the International Revenue Service (IRS), which included the money he stole from Hillandale farms.
Weston was employed at Hillandale Farms’ Greensburg, Pennsylvania location. His sentencing is scheduled for January 3, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. and he could be assigned up to 58 years in prison, a fine of more than $2.5 million or both.
Another Hillandale Farms’ lawsuit
In August 2020, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against the egg producer accusing the company of illegally gouging egg prices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
James alleged that Hillandale Farms gouged egg prices on over 4 million cartons sold to major grocery store chains, U.S. military facilities and wholesale food distributors throughout New York. Additionally, the producer was accused of charging New York customers up to four times the pre-pandemic price for a carton of eggs.
In April 2021, a settlement was reached which stated that Hillandale would donate 1.2 million eggs to food banks located throughout the state. Those food banks distributed the eggs to thousands of food pantries, soup kitchens and homeless shelters.
