Owner of Seafood Company Charged in Atlantic Blue Crab Scam

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The owner of a Newport News seafood business was charged today by criminal information with conspiring to commit Lacey Act violations for blending foreign crab meat with Atlantic blue crab meat, then labeling the blended crab meat as “Product of USA”.

James R. Casey, 74, of Poquoson, is the owner and President of Casey’s Seafood, Inc. According to court documents, from at least July 2012 through June 2015, Casey knowingly conspired to replace Atlantic blue crab with crab meat from Indonesia, China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Central and South America. Casey and his co-conspirators falsely labeled at least 397,917 pounds of crab meat, with a retail value in the millions of dollars, as Atlantic blue crab and “Product of the United States”.

According to court documents, Casey directed employees to remove foreign crabmeat from the original shipper’s packaging containers, blend and combine foreign crab meat from one processor with crab meat from another processor, and place it into different packing containers with a label declaring that the contents were a “Product of USA,” despite knowing that the contents were imported crab meat. Casey also directed employees to place labels with “Product of the USA” on containers that covered up labels that stated “Product of Brazil” or “Product of China”.

Casey has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, if convicted. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Jeffrey H. Wood, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, and Tim Donovan, Assistant Director for National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration Office of Law Enforcement, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric M. Hurt and Trial Attorney Gary N. Donner of the Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the case.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations provided significant assistance during the investigation.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER.

A criminal information contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.