Janet Risi Field and Steven Louis Risi
Introduction
Janet Risi Field, 66, of Pinecrest, Florida, — the former chief executive of the purchasing cooperative that manages the supply chain for a major American sandwich chain’s more than 20,000 North American locations — and her brother, Steven Louis Risi, 70, of Coral Gables, were charged in a federal indictment, unsealed October 1, 2026, with operating what prosecutors call a decades-long bribery and money laundering scheme that defrauded thousands of the chain’s franchise owners nationwide of more than $80 million .
The allegations come from an indictment — accusations the government must prove — and both defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The releasing office keeps the chain itself anonymous in its charging papers, describing it only as an American multinational fast-food chain; the franchise owners allegedly affected are the chain’s independent operators, who buy their food and supplies through the cooperative Risi Field ran.
Background Information
Risi Field helped found the Independent Purchasing Cooperative, Inc. (IPC) — a Miami-Dade County-based nonprofit organization — in 1996 and served as its chief executive until December 2021 . IPC manages the North American supply chain for the sandwich chain, negotiating with vendors to set the prices that franchisees pay for food, supplies, and services; in her role, Risi Field had authority to enter into vendor contracts affecting the prices paid by thousands of franchise owners .
The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, together with FBI Miami Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles and FDIC-OIG Special Agent in Charge Quenton Sallows .
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Charged, not convicted. A federal indictment unsealed October 1, 2026, alleges a decades-long kickback and money laundering scheme; the allegations are unproven and the defendants are presumed innocent.
The indictment alleges that vendors seeking contracts to supply the chain’s franchisees paid millions of dollars in secret bribes and kickbacks to Risi Field and members of her family, and that Risi Field abused her position by entering into a secret arrangement with co-conspirators who acted as brokers for the suppliers of goods and services to franchisees — including deli meats, cheeses, and cookies . Under the alleged arrangement, the brokers shared a portion of the fees generated from vendor contracts with Risi Field and her family .
Risi Field, her brother, and other family members allegedly used shell companies to conceal more than $60 million in illegal bribe and kickback payments . The indictment says Risi Field used the proceeds to remodel and furnish residences in Florida and North Carolina, make private investments, purchase more than $400,000 in jewelry, pay personal expenses, and fund memberships in private clubs .
The alleged slush fund began in the early 2000s: the indictment alleges Risi Field caused a co-conspirator to fund payments that enriched herself and family members, including more than $420,000 to a Risi family personal assistant and more than $150,000 to her housekeeper and handyman, and that in approximately 2011 she caused a co-conspirator to pay roughly $8 million to settle a lawsuit by a former cooperative contractor who had alleged she maintained an inappropriate financial relationship with vendors — allegations and settlement details she allegedly concealed from the cooperative’s board . In total, she allegedly caused approximately $25 million in slush-fund payments primarily for the benefit of herself and other co-conspirators .
The laundering allegations tie in the brother: the two allegedly conspired to move millions through shell companies and bank accounts they controlled, with approximately $3.4 million in alleged proceeds paying Risi Field’s credit card expenses and approximately $1 million deposited into an account for which Risi Field and Risi were the sole signers .
Public Reaction and Consequences
The charges landed on an executive who had already exited the industry: the indictment alleges Risi Field concealed the bribes and kickbacks from the cooperative’s directors and the chain’s franchisees throughout her employment, and that when the cooperative terminated her in December 2021, its board — allegedly still unaware of the payments — paid her more than $6 million in severance .
Both defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and two counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity, carrying up to 20 years on the laundering conspiracy and 10 years per transaction count; Risi Field additionally faces conspiracy to commit wire fraud and honest-services wire fraud, two honest-services counts, and three wire fraud counts, each carrying up to 20 years .
Current Status
The indictment was returned by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida and unsealed October 1, 2026; the defendants are presumed innocent, and no convictions exist . The releasing office’s announcement does not state arraignment dates, and none are asserted here. The case will be tested at trial or by plea; until then the $80 million figure and every specific above is allegation.
Impact on Their Career/Life
Risi Field’s three decades atop the cooperative’s purchasing operation now end in a federal courtroom: the indictment alleges that the nonprofit role through which she set prices for thousands of small franchise owners was used for their systematic exploitation, and that her 2021 exit came with a $6 million severance the board paid without knowing why it should not . Her brother faces the laundering conspiracy alongside her, and both face decades in statutory exposure if convicted — with the government still required to prove every dollar it alleges.
Sources
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida — “Former Restaurant Chain Cooperative’s CEO and Brother Charged in $80 Million Bribery and Money-Laundering Scheme Affecting Thousands of Restaurant Franchisees” source