Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, announced today that an information has been filed against Maggie Lee charging her with one count of consumer product tampering. According to court records, Lee, age 33, resides in Cleveland, Ohio.

The information alleges that from September to October, 2008, on at least 28 occasions, Lee purchased and opened the packaging of a high fiber cereal, removed its contents, replaced it with a plastic bag containing other kinds of cereal, resealed the package, and returned the product to the store to be re-sold. The information charges that the defendant did this to damage the reputation of the cereal manufacturer. There have been no reports of anything harmful being placed in these boxes or of any injuries as a result of this tampering.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christian H. Stickan, following an investigation by the United States Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations.

An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.