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Testimonies reveal Mamtek's Chinese plant was unverified

Missouri’s Economic Development department is defending its role in the controversy surrounding a failed artificial sweetener plant in the small town of Moberly.

Town officials testified Tuesday before a State House committee that the agency did not provide them with emails from a DED representative revealing that he could not verify whether Los Angeles-based Mamtek had a functioning plant in China.  DED General Counsel Chris Pieper disagreed in his testimony.

“We shared the concern…we didn’t share the email, but we shared the concern…we shared it on multiple occasions, by email, that we were doing additional research. ”

DED Director David Kerr testified that it would have been a waste of taxpayer money to double-check every claim made by every company seeking incentives.  Meanwhile, the chair of the committee conducting the hearings said he may issue a subpoena to Mamtek’s patent attorney if he refuses to voluntarily testify.

Missouri Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a proud alumnus of the University of Mississippi (a.k.a., Ole Miss), and has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off the old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Mason, and their cat, Honey.