Evangers in the News.......

[Hannie]

You won't believe this one (from Susan Thixton):

http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/evangers-pet-food-owners-accused-of-stealing-2m-in-electric-and-gas.html

Evangers Pet Food Owners accused of stealing $2M in electric and gas

    * Written By: Susan Thixton
    * 3-24-2010
    * Categorized in: Pet Food News

Joel and Holly Shere, owners of Evangers Pet Food Company, have been accused of stealing gas and electric from Commonweath Edison and Nicor according to Cook County state attorney’s office.

From ChicagoBreakingNews.com: "Joel Shere, 54, and his wife Holly, 52, own Evanger's Dog & Cat Food company. For the last several years, investigators have been looking into whether the couple had been stealing from Commonwealth Edison and Nicor, according to the Cook County state's attorney's office.”
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/03/pet-food-firm-owners-accused-of-stealing-2m-in-eletricity-gas.html

Per the above website, the Sheres “not only tampered with a Nicor meter but built a separate pipe to divert the flow of gas prior to reaching the meter.”  “A two-way valve was inserted so that the gas flow could be redirected to the meter when inspections occurred by Nicor.”

The Evangers Pet Food owners also are accused of tapping into main power lines.  “Wires and fuses were attached to the high-voltage wires and then connected to the electric supply insisted the defendant’s company,” prosecutors said.

A former worker for the pet food company alerted Nicor in December 2008; a company worker told ComEd of the tapping of electricity in September 2009.

Bail was set at $250,000 for Joel Shere and $200,000 for Holly Shere in a hearing today (March 24, 2010).  “If Holly Shere is released on bail, she will be allowed to travel to Orlando, FL for a trade show, and to Los Angeles for a Seder celebration for cats and dogs, according to the conditions of bail.”

I will be attending the pet food trade show in Orlando, I’ll be sure to stop by the Evangers Pet Food booth for a statement; of course I'll keep you posted on their response.

 

[Bonkers]

 WoW!

 Well all I can say is if  they are allegedly crooked enough to rip off power companies then what else are they capable of?

 Of course they must be assumed innocent untill proven otherwise....

[Perseus]

OMG, this is disgusting if proven to be the truth!  For them to go to that length and effort would have me question ALL of their ethics, or lack of.  I would think messing with gas lines and high-voltage lines is fairly dangerous, too.


Watch, they'll put up a notice on their website that it's all a "misunderstanding" and a "paperwork problem", just like the FDA notice they got!
 

[Hannie]

Bonkers & Perseus:

My thoughts exactly:  this sort of makes you question all of their ethics, doesn't it?  I stopped using their food the minute there was a question about cooking the food in the can properly. 

I sure wish I knew who else they can for because I don't want to use those foods either.  I wonder if they'll shut them down.

I had to post this because this one just blew me away.

[Bonkers]

It seems that the Sher's are also being accused of money laundering.


"A north suburban couple who own a high-end pet food company were charged Wednesday with stealing nearly $2 million worth of gas and electricity to operate the company and its manufacturing plant.

Joel Sher, 54, and his wife Holly Sher, 52, of Lincolnwood, are charged with felony theft and money laundering for allegedly providing free utilities to their company, Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food, according to a release from the Cook County State's Attorney's office.

State’s attorney's office investigators seized $2.3 million from a Chicago bank account belonging to the Shers as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation, the release said."


http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/20100324-pet-food-company-utility-theft

[Perseus]

Even just seizing the money could strain the business enough to force it under.  Not to mention the horrendous legal fees they will face.  A small biz like that may not be able to pull out of this.  After reading other news blurbs on it, the state thinks they have a rock solid case against them, too.  How low can Joel go?

[Bonkers]

Bonkers & Perseus:

My thoughts exactly:  this sort of makes you question all of their ethics, doesn't it?  I stopped using their food the minute there was a question about cooking the food in the can properly. 

I sure wish I knew who else they can for because I don't want to use those foods either.  I wonder if they'll shut them down.

I had to post this because this one just blew me away.

Hannie

I do remember that Evangers did the canning for both the Felidae (cat) and Canidae (dog) foods.  I also believe they do the canning for ByNature.

If anyone should know of any other pet foods that are canned by Evangers, please post them.

[Bonkers]

I found these on another thread:

Felidae & Canidae (per The Pet Food List they use Evangers and Simmons)
Artemis
Blackwood cat & dog food

http://thepetfoodlist.com/forums/index.php?topic=721.0


Correction to prior post:

By Nature Organics is no longer being canned by Evangers.

[Hannie]

Bonkers:

Thanks for info.  I had heard that about money laundering when I was reading more on it yesterday.  Here's an interesting article that goes into detail:

http://money.howstuffworks.com/money-laundering.htm

Often wondered exactly how this worked so I looked it up.  Duh!

I wonder if there are any other companies that use Evangers for canning (besides those that you just named).  Bet me they are all running around looking for a new spot!  I don't see how they can survive this.

I used to feed Evangers & believed it was a healthy dog food.......until the first incident w/the FDA when I didn't feel Joel & Holly were being honest about the whole situation.  That was enough for me. 

This whole thing is just mind boggling.

[Perseus]

Here's an updated news release by AP: it states the Sher's made their own employees dig through concrete to divert the gas lines and high voltage lines!

"The brazen nature of these thefts is exceeded only by the dangerous conditions that these individuals were willing to expose their employees to, Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez said."

They could have killed people.  I think that is a fair statement.  Let's see what a jury thinks.

Full story here: http://bit.ly/cnBnUJ

[Perseus]

"The worker was ordered to use a jackhammer to tear up concrete and asphalt so gas could be diverted to the plant in Wheeling. The smell of gas fumes wasn't unusual at Evanger's Dog & Cat Food Co."

Full story here: http://bit.ly/bPHnSY

Here's a video on their plant in Wheeling, IL: http://bit.ly/9Jp5nI

Interesting that the Sher's each have their own lawyer representing them....

[lesliek]

I found out today that some of the Weruva dog cans are made at Evangers. Apparently only the Kobe & Korabuto types that are pate style & made in the USA. I emailed Weruva and will call them on Monday to be sure. I'll [post as soon as I get an answer from them. If anyone wants to try checking with Evangers about the Weruva ,it can't be me. Somehow I don't think they will answer my calls.

[Bonkers]

Thanks for the heads up lesliek. That surprises me about Weruva as I thought all their foods were produced overseas. But I suppose after all this time nothing should come as a surprise.

I would be willing to bet that their are a few more companies that Evangers does the canning for.

[Hannie]

I'm sure I posted a while back about Party Animal.......one of the few canned dog foods I use (but rarely).  I had a can of Evangers in my cabinets from a while ago when I used to feed it & I also had a can of PA.  Before I threw the Evangers away, I happened to notice that the bottom of the cans were identical, including the bb stamp.

I sent PA two or three emails asking them who cans for them & they never bothered to answer me.  So that puts this particular canned food in a questionable state until I can get more info.  This had to be a yr ago when the story broke about the FDA & the emergency permit........I still don't know any more than I did then as to who cans for them but their silence speaks volumes if you get my drift.......

The more I read about this, the more I'm blown away.  Just who are these people?

[Perseus]

The more I read about this, the more I'm blown away.  Just who are these people?

"This isn't the first encounter with authorities for Evanger's.

The village of Wheeling has issued a number of code violations dating back to 2006, mostly dealing with public nuisance, property maintenance and exterior sanitation. One issue involved a strong odor permeating from the property. Two of the cases are still pending in court, Village Manager Jon Sfondilis said.

In 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found the company deviated from certain requirements that could result in botulism in under-processed pet food. The agency issued a temporary emergency permit, but subsequent inspections showed the company was still noncompliant.

The FDA suspended the permit last June, meaning Evanger's could no longer ship pet food in interstate commerce. Spokesman Ira Allen said there is no record of the FDA ever lifting the suspension."

Full story here: http://bit.ly/aaDMLs