Public Affairs
WASHINGTON, Sept. 7, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a complaint against Cranbury Sales Stables LLC. (Cranbury), Cranbury, N. J., and its owners Marlon Garcia (Garcia) and Danny M. Estevez (Estevez) on Aug. 11, 2023, for alleged violations of the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act.
An investigation by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) revealed that from June 2019 through January 2021, Cranbury and its owners, Garcia and Estevez, failed to pay timely for 139 head of horses, valued at $418,345. As of the filing of this complaint, Cranbury has an unpaid balance of $216,453.
The P&S Act requires subject entities to issue full payment for livestock by the close of the first business day following purchase and transfer of possession. Failure to timely pay for livestock purchases and failure to issue the full payment for purchases is an unfair trade practice and a violation of the P&S Act.
The P&S Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to assess civil penalties up to $33,896 per violation against any person after notice and opportunity for a hearing on the record. If the allegations are admitted or proven in an oral hearing, Unger may be ordered to cease and desist from continuing violations of the P&S Act and assessed a civil penalty.
The P&S Act is a fair trade practice and payment protection law that promotes fair and competitive marketing environments for the livestock, meat and poultry industries.
For further information about the Packers and Stockyards Act, contact Dora Malykin, Packers and Stockyards Division, at (202) 720-7051 or by email at dora.malykin@usda.gov.
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