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Two Didion Milling officials convicted in federal court

A jury has found two Didion Milling officials guilty of workplace safety, environmental, fraud, and obstruction of justice charges. 

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration jointly investigated the explosion at Didion Milling in Cambria, Wisconsin six years ago. 

Derrick Clark was convicted of conspiring to falsify documents related to Clean Air Act compliance and obstructing the investigation by making false and misleading statements to OSHA while serving as Didion’s Vice President of Operations.

Former Safety Superintendent Shawn Mesner was convicted of fraud and conspiring to obstruct and mislead OSHA pertaining to sanitation records tracking the cleaning of corn dust at the mill.

In a statement, Assistant U.S. Attorney General Todd Kim said, “Managers and officers who enable corporate cultures that tolerate, encourage or cover up violations, and who participate in falsifying documents and obstructing agency investigations, will and must be held accountable in addition to the corporations.”

Sentencing hearings will be held later in the U.S. District Court’s Western Wisconsin district.

Didion Milling previously agreed to pay a criminal fine of $1,000,000 and restitution of $10.25 million to the victims of the 2017 explosion, when five of their workers died.