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• Federal grand jury indicts Woodville company
• Corrected: Hudson -- Sheriff issues lottery scam alert

A federal grand jury in Madison has indicted Woodville Warehousing and Distributing on charges that it allegedly caused the introduction of adulterated food into interstate commerce.

The company was charged with one misdemeanor count of causing butter it held from May 2 - 20, 2003, to become adulterated

Adulteration means that the food fails to meet federal standards.

Also indicted were Mark Anderson, 37, Long Lake, Minn., and Steven Perkins, 48, Spicer, Minn.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for western Wisconsin, Anderson and Perkins are dairy traders operating in Minnetonka, Minn.,

They have been charged with four felony counts of causing butter that had been prepared, packed and held under unsanitary conditions to be shipped across state lines.

Officials with the U.S. Attorney's Office say the adulterated butter was allegedly shipped from Iowa to Wisconsin on May 2, 2003.

The butter was then allegedly shipped to Minnesota on May 5, 7 and 14, 2003.

If convicted, Woodville Warehousing faces a fine of up to $200,000.

Anderson and Perkins face a maximum penalty of three years in a federal prison on each of the four felony counts they have been charged with.

By Jon Echternacht, RiverTown Staff

Sheriff Dennis Hillstead urges citizens in St. Croix County to be aware of a scam involving bogus lottery winnings.

"The scam artists use several variations to deceive victims but the basic premise involves sending a legitimate looking letter from a company or organization that announces a person has won a lottery," the Sheriff said.

The notification includes a check for between $4,000 and $5,000 and instructs the person to deposit the check then send back $3,000 to cover taxes and costs. The company promises to send the remaining lottery winnings when it receives the money.

The check appears legitimate and phone calls to a number given are answered and appropriate information is supplied. If the victim checks the company on the internet, it appears on the up and up.

"In a week or two, after the check is deposited, the bank is notified the check is no good and the victim is out $3,000 plus bank charges," Hillstead said. "We have received a number of complaints about this type of scam."

"Many of these types of scams originate outside the United States and are almost impossible to track," the sheriff said. "We are working on finding the IPO address but there are a number of fake addresses you have to go through."

He said that there is really not enough money involved to for an FBI investigation.

Three or four people contacted the sheriff's office who had actually sent money back and better than a dozen persons had sought advice on scam letters they had received.

"A couple of weeks ago we started to get complaints from Hudson, Baldwin and the New Richmond area," He said.

Hillstead said the best policy is to follow the old adage, "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is."

"In most legitimate lotteries, the taxes are deducted before the winnings are paid out," he said.

Persons who have been victimized by this scam are asked to contact their local police department of the St. Croix County Sheriff's Department at 715-381-4320.