Black market ceviche could mean jail for single mom
Share your favorite recipes on Facebook. But please don't sell the food without a permit. Even one bowl of your specialty could land you in jail.
That's the reality California resident and single mom of six Mariza Reulas is learning as she faces jail time for selling homemade ceviche through a Facebook group, reports Fox40.
Reulas was part of the 209 Food Spot Facebook group, where she says people in the Stockton, CA area traded recipes, planned potluck meals, and sold food to other members.
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On Dec. 3, 2015, Reulas and "about a dozen others" in the Facebook group were cited with two misdemeanors (operating a food facility and engaging in business without a permit). They were part of a sting operation, according to court documents. Reulas' crime was selling the private investigator a $12 dish of ceviche.
Reulas is the only person charged who refused to accept a plea deal (hers was 3 years probation), so her case is headed to court.
San Joaquin County Deputy District Attorney Kelly McDaniel tells Fox40 selling food without the health department's inspection is dangerous and "undercuts" business owners who do have permits. She also says the Facebook group was "sent a warning before charges were handed down."
Reulas says she now faces up to a year in jail.
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Sarah Spigelman Richter is a contributor to Mashable's Food channel. Sarah covers everything edible, from the food industry to D.I.Y. recipes. She was previously the community manager for Tastemade NYC and her writing has been seen on The Today Show's food blog, Refinery 29, the Food Network, and Gothamist. She has also developed recipes for Tabasco and other nationally recognized brands and has blogged for 5 years at "Fritos and Foie Gras." Sarah is obsessed with "Orphan Black" and chili-cheese Fritos and is still depressed that Loehmann's closed.
