Woods, wife on adulterated Gatorade label

DENVER, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- A Colorado man adulterated labels on bottles of Gatorade with photos of admitted adulterer Tiger Woods and his wife, federal authorities alleged Wednesday.

The bottles, which were found on shelves of stores in Erie, Boulder, Longmont, and Broomfield, carried labels with images of the world's top golfer and his wife Elin Nordegren with the word "Unfaithful," officials said.

Jason Eric Kay, 38, of Longmont was charged with misbranding and altering food labels with intent to seriously harm a person's business, the U.S. Attorney's Office and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a release. He was to be held overnight and appear in U.S. District Court in Denver Thursday.

If convicted, Kay could face up to five years in prison and up to $450,000 in fines.

The Denver Post reported an FDA affidavit said Kay sent an e-mail to PesiCo, bottlers of Gatorade, offering the scandal-oriented labeling as a marketing campaign.

"It is good for Gatorade and it is good for art," the e-mail reportedly said.

Kay allegedly indicated to FDA agent Daniel Burke he changed the labels on 67 1-quart bottles of tropical-mango flavored Gatorade and considered it "pop art." The agent said Kay felt the fidelity issue was a private matter for Woods and his wife, and "he said he felt the company should be happy because he was providing them with positive press."

Burke said Kay told him, "I didn't think this was a big deal."