New York (CNN Business) A Texas grand jury charged Paul Kruse, Blue Bell Creameries' former CEO and president, was charged with wire fraud and conspiracy in connection with an alleged cover-up of the company's 2015 listeria outbreak, the Department of Justice announced on Wednesday. "We look forward to a jury hearing what really happened in 2015 and Blue Bell's response to the unfortunate events." Blue Bell said it would be inappropriate for the company to comment on Kruse's legal situation since he is no longer with the company. According to the indictment, Kruse allegedly directed employees to remove potentially contaminated products from store freezers without notifying retailers or consumers of the real reason. Kruse instructed employees to tell customers who asked about the removed items that there was an "unspecified issue with a manufacturing machine," the indictment alleges.

Source: CNN October 22, 2020 02:15 UTC