A Mississippi restaurant and its co-owner have been sentenced for their involvement in a conspiracy to misbrand seafood. Mary Mahoney’s Old French House in Biloxi and its manager, Anthony Charles Cvitanovich, were found guilty of substituting cheaper imported fish for the premium local species they advertised.
The court accepted a plea agreement with Mary Mahoney’s, sentencing the company to five years of probation. The restaurant was ordered to pay $1,499,000, including a $149,000 criminal fine and $1,350,000 in forfeiture from fraudulent seafood sales. Special conditions require the restaurant to maintain records of seafood species, sources, and costs for five years and make these records available to regulatory authorities.
Mary Mahoney’s admitted guilt on May 30, 2024, to charges of conspiracy to misbrand seafood and wire fraud related to activities between December 2013 and November 2019. The company sold over 29 tons of fish imported from Africa, India, and South America as local premium species.
Co-owner Anthony Charles Cvitanovich received three years of probation and four months of home detention. He was fined $10,000 after pleading guilty to misbranding seafood in 2018 and 2019.
U.S. Attorney Todd Gee emphasized the importance of accountability in food labeling: “Misbranding foreign seafood as premium locally caught fish hurts the Gulf Coast seafood industry and defrauds customers that paid to taste the real thing.” The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Environment and Natural Resources Division Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim.
The investigation was led by the Food and Drug Administration - Office of Criminal Investigations. Prosecutors included Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea C. Jones and Senior Trial Attorney Jeremy F. Korzenik from the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division.
In related proceedings, Quality Poultry and Seafood along with two managers are scheduled for sentencing on December 11, 2024.