Long Island Companies Sold Squid as Octopus
A federal grand jury indicted Roy Tuccillo Sr., 58, and his son, Roy Tuccillo Jr., 31, both of Jericho, New York, for their scheme to falsely label seafood that was later sold across the country.
The indictment accuses Roy Tuccillo Sr. and Roy Tuccillo Jr. of importing giant squid from Peru and marketing and selling it to grocery stores as octopus. The two defendants, along with their companies Anchor Frozen Foods Inc. and Advanced Frozen Foods Inc., are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and violate the Lacey Act, as well as four substantive Lacey Act violations.
According to the indictment, the defendants fraudulently imported, processed, marketed, sold, and distributed over 113,000 pounds of octopus that was actually squid. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration permits that food companies selling squid market it by its name or as calamari, while octopus is the only acceptable name when selling octopus.
The Lacey Act prohibits submitting false descriptions of fish that were transported and sold in interstate commerce. The defendants are charged with four counts of defrauding grocery stores in New Jersey and Massachusetts.
The case was investigated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Law Enforcement with assistance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Ryan Connors and Senior Trial Attorney David Kehoe of the Environmental Crimes Section.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Defendant: Roy Tuccillo Sr. and Roy Tuccillo Jr.
Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and violate the Lacey Act, four substantive Lacey Act violations
City and State: Jericho, New York
Date: Not specified (2024)
Outcome: Indicted
Dollar Amounts: Not applicable
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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