The U.S. Department of Agriculture has imposed sanctions on four produce businesses for failing to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and failing to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act.

The following businesses and individuals are currently restricted from operating in the produce industry:

• Social Enterprise LLC, operating out of New Castle, DE, for failing to pay a $100,255 award in favor of a Texas seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Rafael S. Goldberg and Diego Gonzalez-Carvajal were listed as members of the business.
• Sanchez Bros Wholesale Corporation, operating out of Chicago, for failing to pay a $36,775 award in favor of an Idaho seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Hector Sanchez was listed as the officer, director and major stockholder of the business.
• West Florida Fresh Produce LLC, operating out of Hialeah, FL, for failing to pay a $19,710 award in favor of a New Jersey seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Yenny R. Sosa was listed as a member of the business.
• Organic Fruit Markets LLC, operating out of Oroville, WA, for failing to pay a $19,231 award in favor of a Washington seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Eloiza Nunez Ramirez, Jose A. Ramirez, Antonio Benitez, Yazir Nieto, Yenny Ardilla, Tomasa Rivera Granados, Raul Martinez, Omar P. Polito and Alverto Rivera were listed as members of the business.

These sanctions include suspending the businesses’ PACA licenses and barring the principal operators of the businesses from engaging in PACA-licensed business or other activities without approval from USDA.

In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 3,500 PACA claims involving more than $58 million. PACA staff also assisted more than 7,800 callers with issues valued at approximately $148 million.