NEW YORK — A company that touts itself as one of the largest manufacturers of cocktail cherries in the United States and had a secret marijuana growing operation in its basement pleaded guilty on Tuesday to criminal and environmental charges.
Dell’s Maraschino Cherries was charged in state Supreme Court and pleaded guilty minutes later to crimes including felony marijuana possession and failing to monitor wastewater it was dumping.
The company website says it was founded in 1948 on family values and a passion for cherries Under a plea deal to resolve the criminal case, it agreed to pay $1.2 million, which includes $130,000 in cash seized at a raid of its Brooklyn factory in February.
Detectives working off a tip executed a search warrant at the company’s warehouse, looking for environmental violations. During the raid, a detective smelled marijuana and later found a large hidden room used to grow marijuana.
As the investigators were waiting for the warrant, the company’s owner, Arthur Mondella fatally shot himself.
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