Jensen brothers get probation in listeria case

Two Colorado brothers have been sentenced by a federal magistrate in a case stemming from a listeria outbreak caused by cantaloupes shipped from their packing facility.

Eric and Ryan Jensen were sentenced to six months of in-home detention, five years’ probation and must each serve 100 hours of community service. They also must pay $150,000 in restitution.

“I must deliver both justice and mercy at the same time,” U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Hegarty said during a hearing in Denver, according to a Reuters report.

The brothers had pleaded guilty to six counts of adulteration of a food and aiding and abetting. The case stems from a 2011 listeria outbreak that led to at least 33 deaths and 147 hospitalizations in 28 states.

Their operation, Jensen Farms of Granada, Colo., is no longer in business.