Famous Mississippi restaurant admits to selling fake fresh seafood

Famous Mississippi restaurant admits to selling fake fresh seafood

Mary Mahoney’s Old French House Restaurant in Biloxi, Mississippi, has confessed to deceiving customers by selling foreign, frozen seafood as fresh local catch. This landmark restaurant, operating since 1964, will forfeit $1.35 million after pleading guilty to mislabeling seafood and wire fraud.

From 2013 to 2019, the restaurant misrepresented over 29 tons of imported lake perch, tripletail, triggerfish, and unicorn filefish as premium Gulf red snapper, snapper, and redfish. The deception was uncovered after federal agents raided the restaurant in 2019.

Co-owner Anthony ‘Tony’ Cvitanovich pleaded guilty to conspiring to mislabel seafood. Despite the charges, Mary Mahoney’s continues to operate, pledging to serve high-quality steaks and seafood.

U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee emphasized the gravity of the crime, stating that mislabeling food and defrauding customers are serious offenses. He hopes the case serves as a deterrent to other restaurants and suppliers.

The case has sparked outrage among customers who trusted the restaurant’s claims about the freshness of their seafood. Many feel betrayed by the long-standing establishment, leading to a decline in the restaurant’s reputation and customer trust. Despite the scandal, Mary Mahoney’s is attempting to regain its standing by committing to transparency and quality in the future.

Despite its reputation, recent reviews on TripAdvisor have criticized the restaurant’s food quality, with many calling it overpriced and bland.

Source: Dailymail

Famous Mississippi restaurant admits to selling fake fresh seafood