Prosecutor Defends Homemade Ceviche Charges

San Joaquin County, Calif., prosecutors are defending a sting operation that led to citations against six Facebook users who sold homemade food on the site. Mariza Ruelas used the 15,000-person group to sell homemade ceviche. The investigators have threatened Ruelas with jail time for operating a food facility and business without a license. Some critics have said the investigation was overkill. But, “If one person gets salmonella or E. coli and they die, then we’d be the first person they’d contact to say, ‘Why didn’t we do anything about this?’” said San Joaquin County Chief Deputy District Attorney Sherri Adams. “That’s our main objective – people who operate these types of businesses out of their home; there’s no oversight.” Ruelas was offered a plea deal of three years’ probation, 80 hours of community service, and a $253 fine.