Fish Dealer Admits Marketing Illegally Caught Fish

NEW JERSEY

Lou’s Fish Market Inc and its company president, Mark Parente, of Englishtown, New Jersey, plead guilty today to jeopardizing U.S. fisheries by providing a market for illegal caught fish, according to officials.

“The Department will continue to vigorously prosecute those who jeopardize our nation’s fisheries by providing a market for illegally caught fish,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden.  “In this case, the crime is all the more aggravated because the participants took advantage of a federal program designed to study fish populations and enable law-abiding fishermen to increase their catch.”

The federally-licensed fish dealer located in the Bronx, New York admitted to systematically covering up purchases of illegal fluke (summer flounder), scup and black sea bass that were being harvested in violation of the federal Research Set-Aside or RSA Program, the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division announced.

Parente plead guilty to two counts of wire fraud, one count of aiding and abetting mail fraud and one count of falsification of federal records for fraud schemes that ran from May through December 2011, officials said.

As part of the plea deal, the two defendants agreed to pay $932,000 in combined fines and restitution.

The defendants also agreed to make a $110,000 community service payment for the enhancement of seagrass and fluke habitat around Long Island.

The case was investigated by agents of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service.

Here is how Parente’s schemes worked:

• Parente’s schemes involved two Long Island trawlers, one based in southern Nassau County and another in northern Suffolk County.
• The trawlers utilized the RSA Program as a mask for unlawful quota overages.
• In order to conceal the fishermen’s illicit catch, Parente directed unwitting company personnel to prepare and file at least 78 false dealer reports to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA, which omitted or misidentified approximately 203,000 pounds of fluke, 50,000 pounds of scup and 12,000 pounds of black sea bass.
• The wholesale value of the fish was stipulated as $481,000.

Lou’s Fish Market Inc. plead guilty to the falsification of federal records charge as well as one count of Lacey Act False Labeling for the knowing use of false documents in connection with approximately 70,000 pounds of fluke that was shipped to interstate customers.

The jointly proposed sentence bans Parente from holding a federal dealer license, accessing NOAA’s computer system, participating in the RSA program, or being in a position to direct others to complete dealer reports, officials said.

Lou’s Fish Market also agreed to increased recordkeeping and auditing requirements.

Sentencing is set for Dec. 3.

“Protecting our nation’s honest fishermen is, and will always be, a top priority for NOAA.  Egregious acts that undermine the sustainable management of our fisheries resources and steal from those in the industry who follow the rules will not be tolerated,” said Eileen Sobeck, Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries.