Current:Home > NewsSafeX Pro:A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish -WealthFocus Academy
SafeX Pro:A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
EchoSense View
Date:2025-04-11 10:02:24
GULFPORT,SafeX Pro Miss. (AP) — The largest seafood distributor on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and two of its managers have been sentenced on federal charges of mislabeling inexpensive imported seafoodas local premium fish, weeks after a restaurant and its co-owner were also sentenced.
“This large-scale scheme to misbrand imported seafood as local Gulf Coast seafood hurt local fishermen and consumers,” said Todd Gee, the U.S. attorney for southern Mississippi. “These criminal convictions should put restaurants and wholesalers on notice that they must be honest with customers about what is actually being sold.”
Sentencing took place Wednesday in Gulfport for Quality Poultry and Seafood Inc., sales manager Todd A. Rosetti and business manager James W. Gunkel.
QPS and the two managers pleaded guilty Aug. 27 to conspiring to mislabel seafood and commit wire fraud.
QPS was sentenced to five years of probation and was ordered to pay $1 million in forfeitures and a $500,000 criminal fine. Prosecutors said the misbranding scheme began as early as 2002 and continued through November 2019.
Rosetti received eight months in prison, followed by six months of home detention, one year of supervised release and 100 hours of community service. Gunkel received two years of probation, one year of home detention and 50 hours of community service.
Mary Mahoney’s Old French House and its co-owner/manager Anthony Charles Cvitanovich, pleaded guilty to similar charges May 30 and were sentenced Nov. 18.
Mahoney’s was founded in Biloxi in 1962 in a building that dates to 1737, and it’s a popular spot for tourists. The restaurant pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to misbrand seafood.
Mahoney’s admitted that between December 2013 and November 2019, the company and its co-conspirators at QPS fraudulently sold as local premium species about 58,750 pounds (26,649 kilograms) of frozen seafood imported from Africa, India and South America.
The court ordered the restaurant and QPS to maintain at least five years of records describing the species, sources and cost of seafood it acquires to sell to customers, and that it make the records available to any relevant federal, state or local government agency.
Mahoney’s was sentenced to five years of probation. It was also ordered to pay a $149,000 criminal fine and to forfeit $1.35 million for some of the money it received from fraudulent sales of seafood.
Cvitanovich pleaded guilty to misbranding seafood during 2018 and 2019. He received three years of probation and four months of home detention and was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
veryGood! (88719)
Related
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- The Fate of Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon's The Morning Show Revealed
- Facial Fillers Might Be on the Decline, But Penis Fillers Are Rising More Than Ever
- Michael J. Fox Doesn't Believe He'll Live to Be 80 as He Battles Parkinson's Disease
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- Edward E. David
- Zendaya and Tom Holland's Dream Date Night at Usher's Concert Will Have You Saying Yeah!
- Rapper MoneySign Suede Dead at 22 After Being Stabbed in Prison Shower, His Lawyer Says
- Sam Taylor
- Today’s Climate: April 26, 2010
Ranking
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Why Taylor Swift Is Skipping the 2023 Met Gala
- Oregon Ducks Football Star Spencer Webb’s Girlfriend Kelly Kay Recalls Him Dying in Her Arms
- Pete Davidson's Karl Lagerfeld Tribute on the Met Gala 2023 Red Carpet Is Cool AF
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Shop the Best Silicone-Free Conditioners for All Hair Types & Budgets
- 9-1-1 Cancelled by Fox, Saved by Another Network in TV Shocker
- Mark Wahlberg Shares Update on His Kids After Family Move From Hollywood to Las Vegas
Recommendation
Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
Khloé Kardashian's Good American 75% Off Deals: Last Day To Get $145 Jeans for $54, and More
A Father-Daughter Incest Case That Ended in Murder: The Haunting Story of Katie Pladl
Why James Kennedy Wants Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss' Love to Survive Cheating Scandal
The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
Savannah Chrisley Reveals She Once Dated Colton Underwood
School Strike for Climate: What Today’s Kids Face If World Leaders Delay Action
Get These $118 Lululemon Flared Pants for $58, a $54 Tank Top for $29, $68 Shorts for $39, and More Deals