In Gulfport, Mississippi, a major seafood provider and two executives confessed to working together to deceive consumers by mislabeling seafood and carrying out wire fraud. Quality Poultry and Seafood Inc., a leading seafood wholesaler in the region, admitted to the scheme, agreeing to forfeit $1 million and pay a $150,000 fine. The sales manager, Todd A. Rosetti, and business manager, James W. Gunkel, also acknowledged their involvement in misbranding seafood.
These incidents are part of an ongoing case linked to a popular Gulf Coast restaurant, Mary Mahoney’s Old French House in Biloxi. The restaurant previously pleaded guilty to misbranding seafood and wire fraud. One of the co-owners/managers, Anthony Charles Cvitanovich, also admitted to participating in the seafood mislabeling.
According to the Justice Department, Quality Poultry and Seafood Inc. took part in the fish swapping scam from 2002 until November 2019. They allegedly sold imported fish as local species to restaurants, misrepresenting the products. The company also mislabeled imported fish sold at their own retail shop and café.
Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim mentioned, “QPS and company officials engaged in fraudulent activities for over a decade, even while being investigated by federal authorities.” U.S. Attorney Todd Gee added that the false marketing of imported fish diminishes the value of locally caught seafood along the Gulf Coast, as well as deceiving consumers who paid extra for supposedly premium local products.
Despite facing a criminal search warrant, Quality Poultry and Seafood Inc. continued to sell imported fish as substitutes for local varieties for over a year. Mary Mahoney’s admitted to unlawfully selling approximately 58,750 pounds (26,649 kilograms) of mislabeled fish between December 2013 and November 2019. The restaurant sourced seafood from QPS for its operations.
Sentencing for Mary Mahoney’s and Cvitanovich is scheduled for November 18, while the sentencing for QPS, Rosetti, and Gunkel is set for December 11.
