DALLAS -- A man convicted this week for tainting grocery store baked items by sprinkling dried feces on the food is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday.
Prosecutors had store surveillance videotapes from a Fiesta grocery store of two incidents in July.
"He takes his own fecal matter and spread it to the wind over the food going to the public," prosecutor Will Ramsey said in court. "It's just so disgusting and, you know what, people get hurt."
The 49-year-old taxi driver was charged with two felony counts of tampering with consumer products. However, defense attorney Clark Birdsall told jurors that there was no way to prove that Behrouz Nahidmobarekeh's actions would have harmed anyone.
"It's OK to be angry at the defendant. I am. But you've got to follow the law," Birdsall said.
Customers had complained that the fresh-baked items smelled and tasted like manure. Nahidmobarekeh said in a statement that he sprinkled the material on the baked goods because store personnel mistreated him.
The video showed Nahidmobarekeh take a bag from his pocket and toss what he said was feces on baked items. The video showed him repeat the action several times.
In the statement, Nahidmobarekeh said he took his own feces and dried it in the sun. He then used a cheese grater to grind the material into smaller portions.
A jury convicted Nahidmobarekeh, who now faces punishment ranging from probation, to two to 20 years in prison.
Prosecutors had store surveillance videotapes from a Fiesta grocery store of two incidents in July.
"He takes his own fecal matter and spread it to the wind over the food going to the public," prosecutor Will Ramsey said in court. "It's just so disgusting and, you know what, people get hurt."
The 49-year-old taxi driver was charged with two felony counts of tampering with consumer products. However, defense attorney Clark Birdsall told jurors that there was no way to prove that Behrouz Nahidmobarekeh's actions would have harmed anyone.
"It's OK to be angry at the defendant. I am. But you've got to follow the law," Birdsall said.
Customers had complained that the fresh-baked items smelled and tasted like manure. Nahidmobarekeh said in a statement that he sprinkled the material on the baked goods because store personnel mistreated him.
The video showed Nahidmobarekeh take a bag from his pocket and toss what he said was feces on baked items. The video showed him repeat the action several times.
In the statement, Nahidmobarekeh said he took his own feces and dried it in the sun. He then used a cheese grater to grind the material into smaller portions.
A jury convicted Nahidmobarekeh, who now faces punishment ranging from probation, to two to 20 years in prison.
