Federal prosecutors have charged the former chief executive of a restaurant purchasing cooperative and her brother in an alleged bribery and money-laundering scheme that prosecutors say diverted more than $80 million from thousands of franchise owners.
An indictment unsealed in South Florida accuses Janet Risi Field and Steven Louis Risi of using vendors, brokers and shell companies to conceal payments generated by supply contracts. Field helped establish the cooperative in 1996 and led it until 2021, giving her influence over agreements for food, supplies and services used by a chain with more than 20,000 North American locations.
Prosecutors say brokers shared contract fees with Field and members of her family, while shell companies hid more than $60 million in bribes and kickbacks. The indictment further alleges that part of the money paid personal credit-card bills, property expenses, jewelry, investments and private-club memberships.
Both defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and monetary transactions involving criminally derived property. Field also faces wire-fraud and honest-services counts. The most serious counts carry statutory maximums of 20 years, although any sentence would be determined only after a conviction and under federal sentencing law.
These are accusations. Neither defendant has been convicted, and the government must prove every element beyond a reasonable doubt. The indictment’s figures describe the prosecution’s theory of the scheme, not judicial findings.
The case is United States v. Field and Risi, No. 26-cr-20405, in the Southern District of Florida.
Official charging announcement and case information
