A Dover man has pleaded guilty to tampering with pizza doughs at a Hannaford Supermarket in Maine.

Nicholas Mitchell, 39, faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 when he is sentenced on the federal charges.

Mitchell will also be required to pay restitution to the victims of his crimes.

On Oct. 6, 2020, management at the Hannaford in Saco, Maine, reported to police that a customer complained after bringing home a Portland Pie Company pizza dough and finding razor blades inside it. That discovery was made on Oct. 5.

Store security footage shows a man who appears to be Mitchell tampering with the packaging of several Portland Pie pizza doughs.

Mitchell was a former employee of It'll Be Pizza, a company that was manufacturing products for Portland Pie. He had lost his job in June of 2020 and it is believed that is what led to his anger.

Hannaford had to issue a recall for all Portland Pie cheese and fresh dough sold in the deli section.

According to an announcement from officials at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Maine, Mitchell pleaded guilty on Thursday in federal court to one count of tampering with a consumer product.

Mitchell will be sentenced at a later date. He is expected to receive up to four years and nine months behind bars based on a plea agreement he made with prosecutors earlier this year.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Saco Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the Dover and North Berwick, Maine, police departments.

Contact Managing News Editor Kimberley Haas at Kimberley.Haas@townsquaremedia.com.

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