The U.S. Justice Department closed a criminal probe into Abbott Laboratories over its handling of a baby formula plant linked to potentially deadly bacteria and infant deaths, opting instead for civil penalties, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter. Some prosecutors believed they had evidence to criminally charge the company under a law used to pursue other businesses for allegedly selling contaminated foods, and some supervisors also thought it was a good case, but top decision makers instead closed the probe. The lighter-touch option involves clawing back money the company earned from selling formula through federally funded nutrition programs. Abbott initiated a recall and closed its Michigan plant in 2022 after investigators found traces of a potentially deadly bacteria there, worsening a national shortage of baby formula. A company spokesman told the Journal there was no evidence linking its formulas to these illnesses, and no unopened, distributed Abbott infant formulas have tested positive for the bacteria that sickened the babies.
Abbott LaboratoriesDOJ closed criminal probe into Abbott's baby formula plant, opting for civil penalties only.