NC bread seller charged after gluten-free claims - Winston-Salem Journal

[Scott Adams]

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Winston-Salem Journal

People with celiac disease who eat gluten can suffer intestinal damage that makes them unable to absorb nutrients, leading to autoimmune disorders and ...

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[hermitgirl]

Thank you for posting this!!!!

[Mskedi]

Thank goodness.

[Takala]

What a scumbag! He was taking regular bread and repackaging it as gluten free.

"Hicks said Seelig lied to state investigators by claiming he bought his bread from a nonexistent Amish bakery in Millersburg, Ohio. Seelig instead was buying regular bread made by a New Jersey bakery through a third-party and reselling it as gluten-free bread, Hicks said. "

This is a write up from the Gluten Free Raleigh blog:

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This isn't the first time Selig has been charged with a scam, he pled guilty in 2002 in Montana and served jail time.

NC Department of Agriculture Summary

The lawyers representing the NCDA&CS started off the hearing seeking a Preliminary Injunction against Great Specialty Products by sharing a large amount of information as to the investigation conducted and the number of complaints received by the state. There were a total of 25 complaints received to date against GSP where consumers reported getting sick from the supposed Gluten Free products being sold. Nine signed affidavits were presented to the court as evidence in the case and 2 live witnesses were heard. One of the affidavits was submitted by Dr. Anant B. Soni, a internal medicine and Gastroenterology expert who assisted the State with information on Celiac Disease and the Gluten Free diet. The State told the court of Paul Seelig's past troubles with the law and some of the other shady things he has been a part of. For example, in 2001/2002, Mr. Seelig was indicted in Montana with various counts of crimes ranging from wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, making false claims and making false statements. He was convicted via plea bargain on several of the charges and served several months in jail. Evidence was submitted where Mr. Seelig sent extortionary letters to a company involved in this case (Tribecca Oven) asking for money to be paid to him or legal action would be taken. Mr. Seelig was also shown to have acted under an alias of Jeff or Andrew Gleason and to have claimed various sicknesses in order to delay working with the State's investigation (things like H1N1, quarantined due to staph infection, cancer treatment and even heart attack). Mr. Seelig did not deny any of this information shared with the court. He also presented another fictitious letter from a Millersburg, Ohio Amish bakery called Rise'n Bakeries. This fake bakery was claimed to have been providing Great Specialty Products with Gluten Free baked goods since 1996. The State's investigation found no record of such company ever existing in Ohio.