Amos Miller claims his Miller’s Natural Farm has near into compliance with food security laws. It can presumably aloof no longer be fundamental for him to pay that $250,000 ravishing imposed on him for contempt of court docket, he says.

Miller, who has till Monday to pay the ravishing, filed court docket paperwork Friday pleading with the federal enjoy to waive or decrease the ravishing. He cites development he’s made in coming into compliance with the court docket’s orders, at the side of:

• On or earlier than July 22, Miller ceased the slaughter and present of amenable animals.
• On or earlier than July 22, Miller ceased all amenable meat and poultry-related retail-exempt operations pending compliance with federal and voice necessities of the Contempt Disclose.
• On Aug 4, Miller supplied USDA’s Food Security and Inspection Service (FSIS) with the name of their proposed licensed, third self ample social gathering to behavior the inventory required by the Contempt Disclose.
• On Aug 5, recordsdata changed into once posted on the Miller’s Natural Farm net set apart as required by the Contempt Disclose.
• On Aug.18, Miller reimbursed FSIS for its enforcement funds as required by the Contempt Disclose, and FSIS confirmed receipt of $14,436.26, which changed into once the amount owed.

Miller swears that every person court docket-required actions are now taken, excluding for paying the $250,000 ravishing.

Christopher D. Carusone, Miller’s felony reputable, says the $250,000 ravishing “looks to be structured as a coercive sanction.” The Harrisburg, PA, felony reputable said the $250,000 ravishing “is inconsistent with the extenuating circumstances that ended in Mr. Miller’s acts of noncompliance.”

Miller violated a old court docket repeat by resuming his slaughter operations. He took that action after Belmont Meats told Miller it might maybe maybe well presumably no longer exhaust Miller’s citric acid as an antimicrobial.

In Friday’s court docket paperwork, Miller said his actions had been “provoked by a sudden switch in circumstances, no longer by some disagreeable desire to trick the govt.”

In his circulate to the court docket, Carusone asks the court docket to decrease the ravishing to “no bigger than $25,000.” Miller has raised no longer no longer as much as $75,000 from supporters on the safe.

Miller’s felony reputable says the $250,000 ravishing “is inaccurate” and no longer the least coercive sanction moderately calculated to retract compliance with the court docket’s orders.

If the $250,000 ravishing remains a requirement, Miller asks for “90 days from the disposition of this circulate to build price.” Miller changed into once imagined to pay the $250,000 ravishing within 30 days or threat going to detention center.

The Amish Miller owns farmlands in more than one states and his safe purchaser’s club. Noncompliance with food security laws by Miller goes abet bigger than 5 years.

Authorities prosecutors enjoy no longer spoke back to Miller’s motions.

Miller changed into once show in Contempt of Courtroom after violating a Nov. 19, 2019, Injunction Disclose and an April 16, 2020 Consent Decree,

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