The Connell Company history

The primary business of Connell Rice & Sugar was, according to a 1967 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) document, buying and reselling commodities for its own account and acting as a broker for transactions in refined sugar, corn products, and other commodities.

Finally, Grover Connell was indicted in 1978 on six counts of violating federal law by illegally using a Korean rice dealer with ties to the South Korean government as his agent for sales to the government under the Food for Peace program.

However, according to a Wall Street Journal story in 1983, Grover Connell and his allies in Congress and the United States rice trade were making it difficult for South Korea to buy rice from rival exporters.

In 1987 Connell became Gecamines’ authorized supplier in the United States, with 12 United States companies and their subsidiaries required to sell through Connell.

According to a 1990 Washington Post story, at least once a week Grover Connell would invite a member of Congress to company headquarters for a report on what the legislative body was doing and then pay a fee of $2,000.

In 1992 Connell was cleared of allegations that it conspired to monopolize California’s rice trade.

Garbarine, Rachelle, “Developer Stays the Course for a Bigger Office Park,” New York Times, June 29, 1997, Sec.

Connell Rice & Sugar Co. was exporting domestically grown rice, as well as rice grown in the Far East and other areas, to more than 100 countries in 1999.