Illegal Caviar Exporter Could Face $500,000 Fine

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Dec 8th 2008 at 4:02PM

Anything pricey always attracts its share of fakers and hucksters looking to make a quick buck. Last week, federal prosecutors convicted Max Moghaddam of Bemka House of Caviar and FIne Foods in a scheme that involved mislabeling paddlefish roe and shipping it to Belgium, where it was repackaged as American caviar for shipment to other countries. The protected fish eggs are not supposed to be exported but according to CBS4 News, Moghaddam and his team shipped significant quantities of American paddlefish eggs over two years. A ton of paddlefish caviar sent to Belgium in four shipments was worth $193,025 and approximately half was repackaged and sold for $230,113. The caviar culprit could face prison and fines up to $500,000. The Bemka website is still in operation and sells American Paddlefish caviar for $21 for an ounce.

Tags: caviar, paddlefish, roe