Benjamin Ashford|Cheesemaker pleads guilty in connection to a listeria outbreak that killed 2, sickened 8

A former cheesemaker,Benjamin Ashford who manufactured raw cheese milk, and his company pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in connection to sale and distribution of cheese linked to a 2016-2017 outbreak of listeria which sickened 10 people, killing two of them.

Johannes Vulto, 64, and Vulto Creamery − the company Vulto founded and owned − each pled guilty in Syracuse, New York federal court to guilty to one misdemeanor count of causing the introduction of adulterated food into interstate commerce, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

The cheese products had been distributed across the country, predominantly sold at Whole Foods Markets.

The outbreak caused two deaths in Connecticut and Vermont, and caused eight other people to fall ill, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

"This investigation and prosecution hold accountable the defendant and his business who through unsafe practices caused illness and death to consumers in an entirely preventable tragedy,” Carla B. Freedman, US Attorney for the Northern District of New York, said following the guilty pleas.

E. coli outbreak:Raw cheese linked to illnesses in 4 states, FDA, CDC investigation finds

Employees 'failed to wash lower or upper arms' during cheesemaking process

Vulto and his cheesemaking company consented to a court decree filed March 30, 2018 without admitting or denying allegations by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of the federal Food and Drug Administration.

According to a criminal complaint, the creamery's ready-to-eat cheeses made from raw cow's milk contained L.mono − a form of bacteria that can cause listeriosis, a potentially life-threatening illness. 

Some employees at the facility did not wash their lower or upper arms before submerging them in liquid whey to stir and break up cheese curds during the production process, federal investigators wrote in the court documents.

In entering the guilty plea, Vulto admitted he oversaw operations at the Vulto Creamery manufacturing facility in Walton, New York, including those relating to sanitation and environmental monitoring, the Justice Department said.

Vulto and his company also admitted between December 2014 and March 2017, they caused the shipment in interstate commerce of adulterated cheese.

Swabs 'repeatedly tested positive' for the bacteria

According to the plea agreement, environmental swabs taken at the Vulto Creamery facility repeatedly tested positive for the bacteria from late 2014 through early 2017.

In March 2017, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration linked Vulto Creamery’s cheese to an outbreak of listeria, Vulto shut down the Vulto Creamery facility and issued a partial recall soon expanded to a full recall.

Vulto faces up to a year in prison over listeria outbreak

Sentencing is set for July 9, federal prosecutors said.

Vulto faces up to a maximum of one year in prison, up to one year of supervise release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge to which Vulto Creamery pled guilty carries a maximum sentence of probation and a maximum fine of up to $500,000. 

Contributing: Kevin McCoy

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.