Futseng Dale Chen, Smuggling Tropical Fish, California 2024

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Futseng Dale Chen Charged with Smuggling Tropical Fish

A Hayward, California businessman has been accused of smuggling live tropical fish from the United States to Asia, violating federal laws and regulations.

Futseng ‘Dale’ Chen, 53, the owner and chief executive of Sealogic International, Inc., a Hayward-based tropical fish importer and exporter, was charged with smuggling and violations of the Lacey Act by a federal grand jury in San Francisco.

According to the indictment, Chen knowingly filed false and fraudulent export records and documents and intentionally failed to file required export documents for shipments of live tropical fish from the United States to buyers in Asia. The indictment alleges that Chen and Sealogic failed to properly declare the shipments to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and filed or caused to be filed export declarations that were knowingly false.

The indictment further charges that Chen and Sealogic, if convicted, face a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment for smuggling goods, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 554(a), and a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment for false labeling under the Lacey Act, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 3372(d)(2). Additionally, a violation of each statute carries a maximum fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release, plus restitution and forfeiture.

Chen was arrested today and made his initial appearance in San Francisco federal court before United States Magistrate Lisa J. Cisneros. He was released on bond and ordered to appear on September 13, 2024, at 11 a.m. before United States District Judge Susan Illston.

The case is the result of a three-year investigation by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement; Homeland Security Investigations; the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement; and with the assistance of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. David Ward is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kathy Tat.