Heavy Fine and Jail Sentence for Washington State Fish Broker
Pacific Halibut Credit: NOAA
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) Office of Law Enforcement announced this week that a Washington state man, Kevin D. Steele, has been fined $160,000 and sentenced to 30 days in jail for intentionally mislabeling 136,000 pounds of turbot from China as much higher priced U.S. halibut. This is one of the strongest sentences ever imposed for this type of violation.
Kevin D. Steele sold almost all of the fish to retail outlets and restaurants in Utah and Texas, where many people are unfamiliar with halibut, making this fraud especially noteworthy.
“False labeling is theft, plain and simple,” said Vicki Nomura, special agent in charge of NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement in the northwest region.
Steele pleaded guilty last November to federal felony charges and misdemeanor violations, and was sentenced April 24. In addition to the fine and imprisonment, Steele will be placed under court supervision for five years.
Read the complete story at: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/20090511_seafood.html
Camouflaged Pacific Halibut - Credit: Magnus Kjaergaard
Copyright © 2009 by Marine Science Today, a publication of OceanLines LLC
