Garcia Shrimp Co., LLC, Lacey Act Violation, Louisiana 2012
Garcia Shrimp Co., LLC, a Texas Limited Liability Company headquartered in Brownsville, Texas, has been caught in a massive seafood fraud scheme in Louisiana. The company pleaded guilty to a one-count Bill of Information for violating the Federal Lacey Act.
According to court documents, in early October 2012, Garcia Shrimp purchased 35,000 pounds of Mexican shrimp from Mexican businessmen. The shrimp was packaged in plastic crates typically used by Mexican supermarket wholesalers. After taking receipt of the shrimp, company personnel removed product of Mexico labels from the packages containing the shrimp and attached new tags indicating that the shrimp was caught in U.S. waters.
Company personnel also conducted an offloading ruse, whereby the shrimp was trucked down to Garcia Shrimp’s dock facility and then re-weighed and wrapped to make it appear as if the shrimp was caught by a local U.S. flagged fishing vessel. Then, company personnel created false documents and bills of lading that falsely read, ‘Product of U.S.A., Wild Caught Gulf Shrimp.’
On or about October 12, 2012, Garcia Shrimp sold the shrimp to a New Orleans-based seafood distributor. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana has been investigating this matter, and a team of prosecutors has been working on the case.
The company faces a maximum fine of $500,000 and an organizational probationary term of five years. U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown set sentencing for September 24, 2015.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite praised the work of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s NOAA Office of Law Enforcement in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Spiro G. Latsis and Department of Justice Trial Attorney Christopher L. Hale with the Environmental Crimes Section in Washington D.C. are in charge of the prosecution.
The case highlights the ongoing issue of seafood fraud and the importance of enforcing the Federal Lacey Act to protect consumers and the environment. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with law enforcement agencies to bring those responsible for such crimes to justice.
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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