Poultry executives found not guilty of price-fixing

Poultry executives found not guilty of price-fixing

After three separate trials, five executives of Pilgrim’s Pride and Claxton Poultry accused of price-fixing have been acquitted.

The Department of Justice accused Jayson Penn, Mikell Fries, Scott Brady, Roger Austin, and William Lovette of conspiring to rig bids and fix prices for broiler chicken products between August of 2011 and early 2019. 

The first two trials ended in a mistrial and the jury found the poultry executives not guilty in the third trial, which ended Thursday before Chief District Judge Philip Brimmer in Denver.