LaPorte County resident sentenced to 4 years in prison

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- A LaPorte County resident, 53-year-old Dennis R. Zeedyk, was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to mail fraud and tax fraud by a distiller.

Zeedyk, who owns Glycerin Traders, marketed and sold an "Ethanol Extraction" product, when it was found that the product contained high levels of methanol that led to multiple deaths and several injures for people who consumed the product.

“This was an egregious, and thankfully, rare crime involving an illegal still and fraudulent product misrepresentations that resulted in the loss of life because of a product that should have never entered the domestic marketplace. TTB takes our responsibility for maintaining a reliable and safe alcohol marketplace seriously, and we greatly appreciate the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana and our local, state, and federal partners," stated Assistant Administrator for Field Operations, Alcohol and Tabacco Tax and Trade Buteau Anthony Gledhill.

Zeedyk was sentenced to four years in prison with one year of supervised release and has been ordered to pay restitution to the victims of the offense, in the amount of $43,727.93. In addition, he was also ordered to pay a fine of $76,500.