Victims In Corn Mill Explosion That Killed 5 To Get $10.25 Million From Company

MADISON, WI — A milling company has agreed to pay more than $11 million after an explosion at a facility in rural Wisconsin killed five employees in 2017, according to authorities.

Didion Milling Inc. pleaded guilty to falsifying records related to its obligations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act and Clean Air Act to hide violations from the government, authorities said. The company was indicted in 2022 and pleaded guilty to two counts Friday in federal court in Madison, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Under the plea agreement, Didion will pay $1 million in fines and $10.25 million in restitution to the victims of the May 31, 2017, explosion at its corn mill in Cambria, authorities said.

“After an explosion killed five of its workers, Didion Milling lied and falsified records to conceal violations of the environmental and worker safety laws,” Assistant Administrator David Uhlmann, of the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, said in a justice department news release. “There is no excuse for false and misleading conduct, particularly in the aftermath of a tragedy, and this prosecution holds Didion Milling accountable.”

The company was required to operate equipment to prevent corn dust from being released into the environment, and from 2015-17, employees made false log entries, hiding data intended to monitor whether the equipment was working, according to the department. Didion’s environmental manager knowingly gave false logs to inspectors, the authorities said.

Employees also falsely signed sanitation logbook entries to give the appearance that required dust cleanings were performed, when they were not, according to the department, which added the false logbook was given to OSHA during its investigation of the explosion.

Corn dust is combustible; if concentrations in the air reach a high level, a spark or other ignition source can cause it to catch fire and explode. Federal regulations require grain mill operators to perform regular cleanings to reduce dust accumulations that could fuel a blast

Didion last month agreed to pay the Wisconsin Department of Justice $940,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging multiple regulatory violations at the Cambria plant.

Didion CEO Riley Didion said in a statement Thursday that the company was thankful to have reached the plea deal and was pleased most of the financial settlement will go to the workers' estates, calling the explosion “heartbreaking."

"What happened in Cambria in May of 2017 was tragic, and we continue to offer prayers for those who were affected," he said. "With this agreement in place, we can devote our full attention to serving our team, community, farmers, and customers with the highest standards of safety and quality.”

Three Didion officials — Derrick Clark, who was vice president of operations; Shawn Mesner, who was food safety superintendent; and James Lentz, who was environmental manager — are scheduled to stand trial Monday in federal court in Madison on charges that include conspiracy, fraud and falsifying records.

Three other Didion employees — a pair of day shift supervisors and an environmental coordinator — have pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy and obstruction charges since June 15.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.