In a shocking revelation, one of Mississippi’s most iconic restaurants, Mary Mahoney’s Old French House, has pleaded guilty to misbranding species of seafood on its menu. The restaurant, founded in 1962 in Biloxi, admitted to selling imported frozen fish as locally caught and advertising them as such between 2013 and 2019.
The mislabeling involved over 58,775 pounds of fish that were imported from Africa and India but falsely advertised as local snapper and grouper from the Gulf of Mexico. The scheme was confirmed through genetic testing conducted by the FDA. As part of its plea deal, the restaurant will have to pay $1.35 million.
Mary Mahoney’s co-owner and manager, Anthony Cvitanovich, also pleaded guilty to one count of misbranding seafood. Both Mahoney’s and Cvitanovich are set to be sentenced on September 12.
Despite the guilty plea and acknowledgment of wrongdoing, Mary Mahoney’s is described as a respected establishment with good people who made a mistake and are now paying a hefty price for it. The maximum penalties for the restaurant include a $500,000 fine, while Cvitanovich could face up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine for his role in the scheme.
