LA PORTE, Ind. — An Indiana man who falsely marketed a toxic solvent as a pure food-grade product, which later led to three deaths, has been sentenced to 48 months in prison.
Dennis Zeedyk, a 53-year-old La Porte, Indiana, resident has been sentenced to 48 months in prison and 1 year of supervised release, United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson announced on Wednesday.
Zeedyk’s sentence was handed down by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after he pleaded guilty to mail fraud and tax fraud by a distiller.
According to prosecutors, between 2016 and 2018, Zeedyk, who owns the business Glycerin Traders, sold an “Ethanol Extraction” product, which was marketed as a pure, non-denatured, food-grade grain ethanol distilled from 100% corn.
Zeedyk further claimed that the product was a solvent that could be used to extract essential oils from cannabis, herbs, and other plants; for creating medicinal tinctures and perfumes; for baking in the kitchen; and as an all-natural cleaning product, as well as many other uses.
The product, which was sold to customers around the country on Amazon, eBay and an online website, was labeled as 95% ethanol and 5% purified water.
In reality, the product was made using the remnants of denatured industrial alcohol shipments from barges on Lake Michigan and contained approximately 30% to 45% methanol, levels that are toxicly high.
Methanol is known to cause a wide range of symptoms when ingested, including difficulty breathing, blurred vision, dizziness, headaches, seizures, abdominal pain, vomiting, blindness and death.
Prosecutors said Zeedyk used a distilling apparatus that was not registered with the federal government to illegally distill the alcohol.
“Defendant Zeedyk is a modern-day snake oil salesman, who hawked his product to unwitting consumers as being a “pure”, food-safe and “safe for human consumption” ethanol product when, in fact, his product contained high levels of deadly methanol,” Johnson said. “As this prosecution shows, the United States government, through its various law enforcement agencies, will use its power to protect the consuming public from criminal businessmen, like Zeedyk, who use lies to entice consumers to purchase and to use products that are dangerous.”
According to prosecutors, between October 2016 and May 2018, over 1,200 customers purchased the toxic Ethanol Extraction product. The product eventually led to three deaths and several others suffered severe physical injuries.
In 2018, Zeedyk stopped selling the product after learning that a customer had died from drinking it. Recall attempts were then made, but prosecutors said not all customers responded and unaccounted containers of the Ethanol Extraction remain.
“Far from a harmless misrepresentation, this defendant’s lies led to the deaths of three innocent people and caused health problems for many others. This sentence strongly demonstrates that all actions have consequences and should serve as a deterrent to others to reconsider their choices,” FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton said. “The FBI will continue to collaborate with our partners to ensure those who engage in such deceptive actions are held accountable, reinforcing our shared commitment to protect the public.”
In addition to his two-year sentence, Zeedyk was ordered to pay $43,727.93 in restitution to his victims as well as a $76,500 fine.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Indiana did not provide a booking photo of Zeedyk.
