Wild Oats Markets Founder Busted in Child Prostitution Sting
Michael Gilliland, the founder of onetime Whole Foods rival Wild Oats, was arrested in Phoenix, Ariz. for allegedly "soliciting sex online from a girl who identified herself as a minor." According to police, Gilliland agreed to pay for sex with an underage girl (who, one presumes, was actually an FBI agent) and arranged a hotel-room rendezvous; eight men in total were arrested in the same sting.
Gilliland has since resigned his position as CEO of Sunflower Farmers Market, a chain of organic food stores in the Southwest ("Serious food... Silly prices!"). According to acting CEO Chris Sherrell, Gilliland "believes he is not guilty of the charges brought against him." Wild Oats, which you may remember as the crunchier version of Whole Foods, was bought by Whole Foods in 2007.