WASHINGTON – The U.S. Justice Department asked a federal court in Denver on Thursday to drop price-fixing charges filed against five executives of chicken producing companies after two mistrials in the case focused on competition in the $65 billion poultry sector.
The department, however, did not drop charges against five other defendants. Judge Philip Brimmer of the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado ordered Jonathan Kanter, the head of the U.S. Justice Department Antitrust Division, to appear before him and explain why the case should be retried.
The government dropped charges against Timothy Mulrenin, who worked at Tyson foods at the time; William Kantola, who was in sales at Koch Foods Inc, Jimmie Little, a former salesman at Pilgrim’s Pride, Gary Brian Roberts, who was at Tyson (TSN.N) as a sales executive at the time, and Rickie Blake, who was at George’s Inc.
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