Omaha meat processing company fined, and on probation, for false beef grading records

Omaha meat processing company Nebraska Beef Ltd. has been sentenced to a year’s probation and fined $200,000 for falsely representing beef grading records.

In addition to that sentence this month in federal court, the company paid a $550,000 fine as part of a civil settlement with the government for its conduct.

Two former employees also were sentenced for U.S. Department of Agriculture violations.

James Timmerman, 50, former chief financial officer at Nebraska Beef, was sentenced in September for false representation related to agricultural grading records.

Chief U.S. District Judge Robert Rossiter Jr. sentenced Timmerman, of Omaha, to two years of probation and ordered him to pay a $1,000 fine.

Dolese Tippery, 61, another former Nebraska Beef employee, was sentenced in May to six months probation and fined $1,000 for misrepresenting beef grading records. 

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Nebraska Beef in June 2016 had been served a grand jury subpoena ordering the company to produce grading records for 30 carcasses of beef.

A corporate officer reportedly altered the grading records, then gave  altered documents to Nebraska Beef attorneys for delivery to the grand jury. 

The case was investigated by the USDA Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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