Isidoro Garbarino, Customs Fraud, New York 1987

Former Caviar Distributor Sentenced in New York

Isidoro 'Mario' Garbarino, the former head of Aquamar Gourmet Imports, Inc., was sentenced to time served and will be deported for his role in a multi-million dollar customs fraud scheme.

Garbarino, an Italian citizen, was found guilty of unlawfully importing more than 100,000 pounds of Russian and Iranian caviar, valued at over $10 million, into the United States between 1984 and 1987.

According to the charges, Garbarino used several schemes to avoid tariffs on the imported caviar, including understating the weight and value of the caviar and substituting cheaper American caviar for the expensive foreign caviar.

Garbarino was first arrested on these charges in July 1987, but fled the country in July 1989 while free on bail. He remained a fugitive until his arrest by the U.S. Marshals in September 2012.

Prior to his sentencing, Garbarino paid $3 million in restitution to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which represents the duties, penalties, and accrued interest owed for the unlawfully imported caviar.

Garbarino was sentenced to time served, approximately four months in prison, and will be deported. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kevin Thomas Duffy.

The case is being handled by the Office's General Crimes Unit, with Assistant United States Attorney Edward B. Diskant in charge of the prosecution.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/former-head-major-new-york-caviar-distributor-sentenced-manhattan-federal-court-and