Peanut Mogul Back in Business as Investigation Continues

(AP)  The man at the head of the peanut company whose filthy processing plants were blamed in a salmonella outbreak that killed three Brainerd nursing home residents, is back in the business.

Stewart Parnell, the former President of the now-bankrupt Peanut Corp. of America, is working as a consultant to peanut companies, as an 18 month federal criminal investigation against him continues. 

Congressional investigators uncovered emails in which parnell is quoted as directing employees to "Turn them loose" after samples of peanuts had tested positive for salmonella, but cleared in a second test.

87-year-old Doris Flatgard, 78-year-old Clifford Tousignant and 72-year-old Shirley Mae Almer died after they ate contaminated peanut butter at their nursing homes last year.