Sun-Diamond Fined for Gifts to Espy

Sun-Diamond Growers of California was fined $1.5 million by a federal court for giving illegal gifts to President Clinton’s former Agriculture secretary, Mike Espy. Pleasanton-based Sun-Diamond, the nation’s largest fruit cooperative, also was put on a five-year probation, during which the company has to make regular reports to the court to ensure it does not again break federal gratuity laws. Sun-Diamond was convicted last year on eight criminal counts of providing illegal gratuities to Espy in 1993 and 1994, participating in a scheme to make illegal campaign contributions to Espy’s brother Henry and violating federal campaign contributions laws.