Just one month before Taylor Farms was thrust to the forefront of the cyclosporiasis outbreak, Taylor Fresh Foods filed a civil lawsuit against one of its former presidents. Brian Thure and his wife are accused of stealing more than $30 million, which was used, in part, to purchase an offensive lineman for the college football program at Cal-Berkeley.
The alleged embezzlement operation spanned approximately four years in total.
It is unclear whether this lawsuit will impact the Golden Bears college football program or if the funds were even received by the university. The school has not yet answered any questions about the money.
Taylor Farms is suing its former president for embezzlement.
According to a lawsuit that was filed on June 5, Taylor Fresh Foods Inc. (which does business as Taylor Farms) accuses Brian Thure of spending millions of dollars in company money on unauthorized purchases. Thure, the former president of a Taylor Fresh Foods subsidiary in Tennessee, is named alongside his wife, Julie Thurne, and MTS Building and Electrical. MTS Building and Electrical is framed as a sham contractor that was unregistered. The couple allegedly used the company to funnel stolen money.
The alleged embezzlement scheme totaled ~$32 million.
Taylor Fresh Foods says it became aware of the alleged fraud after an IRS audit in early 2025. The federal agency raised “concerns” about MTS Building and Electrical and “other questionable reimbursement practices” at the Tennessee subsidiary. The audit triggered an internal investigation. Taylor Fresh Foods discovered a “multi-year fraudulent scheme.”
As stated in the lawsuit, Thure allegedly used fraudulent vendor charges, payroll, company credit cards, reimbursements, various construction projects and company entities for his own personal benefit. He is also accused of using his position to bribe other employees to stay quiet about “irregularities for his personal benefit.”
Brian Thure was hired in 2012. He was removed from his role as president of the subsidiary in March.
How did they spend company funds?
According to the lawsuit, Taylor Fresh Foods traced the funds to multiple $1 million + purchases. The couple allegedly used the company’s money to buy a home in Hawaii for $5.5 million. Julie Thure allegedly listed that amount as a donation to the Middle Tennessee Christian School for fundraising activities. The lawsuit claims that was not the case.
In addition to the house, the Thures are also accused of buying a $15,000 golf cart with one of the corporate cards.
The lawsuit also accuses the couple of buying a $1.5 million, 400-acre ranch in Humbolt, California with Taylor Farms capital. It also cost “millions of additional dollars” for the Thures to purchase supplies and ship construction vehicles to the Golden State.
To go even one step further, Brian Thure allegedly put his wife, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, personal chef, personal driver, handyman, personal trainer and aquarium maintenance attendant on the Taylor Farms payroll. That allowed them to receive “unauthorized salaries and bonuses.”
The Cal-Berkeley college football program might’ve received stolen money.
Brian Thure played three seasons of college football at the University of California-Berkeley from 1992-1994 out of Salinas High School. He started all three years on the offensive line at the tackle position. The Golden Bears went 10-2 and won the Citrus Bowl during his freshman year. They went 9-4 and won the Alamo Bowl during his junior year.
Thure went on to be drafted into the NFL in 1995 by the Washington Redskins with the 176th overall pick in the sixth round. He played in four games over two seasons.
As part of the lawsuit, Thure is accused of using $1 million of Taylor Farms money to fund the ‘Brian and Julie Thure Right Tackle Endowment’ at his alma mater. That could mean one of two things in the modern era of college football.
An endowment most likely refers to a specific scholarship fund that pays for a right tackle’s tuition, room, board, etc. It could also refer to a specific amount of money that is set aside for Name, Image and Likeness. The lawsuit does not expand further.
Cal-Berkeley did not respond to questions about the endowment. Does it still exist? Did the Golden Bears ever get the money? If they did, where did it go? Who was the beneficiary?
Although the university is unlikely to provide those answers, they could be revealed as the legal saga continues to unfold.