NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The former chief executive of a New Jersey-based seafood importing business has been sentenced to 22 months in federal prison for mislabeling fish to avoid paying more than $60 million in federal tariffs.
At sentencing Tuesday in Newark, 61-year-old Thomas George of Old Tappan also was ordered to pay more than $64 million in restitution.
George pleaded guilty in January to importing and selling falsely labeled goods.
He admitted he worked with a Vietnamese company to import farm-raised catfish and instructed it to falsely identify the fish as grouper in order to avoid antidumping duties.
The U.S. imposes tariffs on Vietnamese catfish to protect American catfish producers.
