Calif. seafood company fined $1M for fishy labels

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a Torrance, Calif.-based seafood corporation has been ordered to pay $1 million in fines and community service donations for falsely labeling frozen catfish fillets as grouper.

U.S. attorney's office spokesman Thom Mrozek says Seafood Solutions Inc. was fined $700,000 on Monday, and ordered to donate $300,000 to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Seafood Solutions and two defendants were convicted on July 25, 2011, for trafficking in fish known to be transported and sold in violation of the U.S. Lacey Act.

Co-defendants Chau-Shing Lin and Christopher Ragone have pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 13.

The charitable donation is to be used to fund projects related to methodologies, databases and other research into the identification of marine organisms.

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