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Shoppers Food to Pay $2.5M Settlement

BALTIMORE — A federal judge here has agreed to defer prosecution of Shoppers Food Warehouse in connection with a bribery case against two of the retailer’s former executives and a state Senator.

Jon Springer, Executive Editor

September 14, 2010

1 Min Read
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JON SPRINGER

BALTIMORE — A federal judge here has agreed to defer prosecution of Shoppers Food Warehouse in connection with a bribery case against two of the retailer’s former executives and a state Senator.

Supervalu, the Minneapolis-based parent of Shoppers Food Warehouse, must pay $2.5 million and cooperate with federal prosecutors in the case, which alleges the retailer paid almost $246,000 over six years to state Sen. Ulysses Currie, who is alleged to have taken official actions to directly benefit Shoppers and its top executives including William White, its former president, and Kevin Small, its former vice president of real estate. Both White and Small also face conspiracy and fraud charges.

According to the indictment, although Currie was hired to work as a public affairs consultant, he used his official position to do favors for the company including securing state funds to reduce rent at one store, sell liquor in another, and facilitate infrastructure improvements to help a third. Currie in a memo to Shoppers said he was “in a unique position to assist Shoppers in expanding its mission and increasing its bottom line.”

Small, who served at Shoppers until June of 2007, pleaded not guilty to charges. White, who retired from Shoppers in 2006 and later served as chief executive of Southern Family Markets, is expected to appear in court later this week.

About the Author

Jon Springer

Executive Editor

Jon Springer is executive editor of Winsight Grocery Business with responsibility for leading its digital news team. Jon has more than 20 years of experience covering consumer business and retail in New York, including more than 14 years at the Retail/Financial desk at Supermarket News. His previous experience includes covering consumer markets for KPMG’s Insiders; the U.S. beverage industry for Beverage Spectrum; and he was a Senior Editor covering commercial real estate and retail for the International Council of Shopping Centers. Jon began his career as a sports reporter and features editor for the Cecil Whig, a daily newspaper in Elkton, Md. Jon is also the author of two books on baseball. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English-Journalism from the University of Delaware. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. with his family.

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