Pallet maker’s manager sentenced for fraud

A former general manager at Timber Creek Resources in Newton, Wis., pleaded guilty and was sentenced this week for criminal violations of U.S. Plant Protection Act regulations that govern the use of wood packaging material in international trade.    Russel Wetenkamp, a former general manager at Timber Creek Resources in Newton, Wis., pleaded guilty and was sentenced this week in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Wisconsin for criminal violations related to the U.S. Plant Protection Act (PPA).
   Wetenkamp fraudulently marked wooden pallets as compliant with the PPA regulations that govern the use of wood packaging material in international trade, even though they had not been properly treated to prevent the spread of wood-boring pests, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said in a statement. The agency noted that Wetekamp sold “falsely stamped pallets to numerous customers” from November 2014 to April 2015.
   As part of the plea agreement, Wetenkamp pleaded guilty to violating the PPA and making a false statement, both of which are criminal charges. He was sentenced to pay a $25,000 fine, complete a two-year probation period, and pay restitution of $18,748 to his customers.