( CNN ) -- A second former co-owner of the California slaughterhouse involved in a recall of nearly nine million pounds of meat was charged with knowingly processing and distributing meat from cancerous cows , court documents released this week say . Robert Singleton , co-owner of the Rancho Feeding Corporation in Petaluma , was primarily responsible for purchasing cattle and loading shipments for distribution , prosecutors say . He is charged with distributing `` adulterated , misbranded , and uninspected '' meat , according to the documents . Singleton jointly owned the meat plant with Jesse J. Amaral Jr. , the former president and general manager who is also known as also known as `` Babe Amaral . '' Amaral and his former employees , Felix Sandoval Cabrera and Eugene Corda , have all been charged with unlawful sale and distribution of contaminated meat . Prosecutors allege that Amaral and Singleton directed Corda and Cabrera to circumvent inspection procedures for certain cows with signs of epithelioma of the eye , also known as `` cancer eye . '' While Singleton is accused of knowingly purchasing cattle with signs of epithelioma , Amaral allegedly directed employees to carve `` USDA Condemned '' stamps out of certain cow carcasses and to process them for sale and distribution , despite having been rejected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture veterinarian . Amaral is also charged with sending false invoices to farmers , telling them that their cattle had died or been condemned and charging them `` handling fees '' for disposal of the carcasses , instead of compensating them for the sale price , prosecutors said . If convicted , Singleton faces up to three years imprisonment , with one year of supervised release , and a $ 10,000 fine . Amaral , Cabrera and Corda could receive up to 20 years in prison and $ 250,000 in fines . CNN 's attempts this week to reach the four men and an attorney representing them have been unsuccessful . Between January 2013 and January 2014 , Rancho processed and distributed meat from approximately 101 condemned cattle and approximately 79 cancer eye cows , according to court documents . In February , 8.7 million pounds of meat from the Rancho plant was recalled . The recalled beef may have reached 35 states and Guam , the Department of Agriculture said . Opinion : Recalls and near misses -- Who 's protecting us ?
A former co-owner of a California slaughterhouse is accused of distributing bad meat . The other co-owner and two former workers are also facing charges in the case . Prosecutors : Robert Singleton was responsible for buying cows and loading shipments . Authorities recalled nearly 9 million pounds of meat from the slaughterhouse in February .