New York Paralegal Blog

WASHINGTON— Stephen C. Delaney, 55, of Quincy, Mass., was found guilty on April 8, 2011, by a federal jury in Boston of falsely labeling frozen fish fillets from China. Specifically, Delaney was convicted of a felony violation of the Lacey Act, a federal wildlife statute. The jury found that, on or about April 15, 2009, Delaney falsely labeled approximately $8,000 worth of frozen fillets of pollock, product of China, as cod loins, product of Canada. The labeling of pollock as cod is identified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the list of examples of substituted seafood and economic fraud on its website. Evidence at trial established that the price of cod is approximately $1.00 per pound higher than that for Alaska pollock. In addition, Delaney was convicted on one misdemeanor violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act for misbranding seafood. Specifically, the jury found that Delaney sent into interstate commerce approximately $203,000 worth of frozen fish fille...

WASHINGTON - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection returned a collection of pre-historic fossils to the Government of China in a ceremony at the Embassy in the nation's capital. The approximately 100 small stone slabs containing impressions of pre-historic paleovertebrates were identified during the course of routine inspections by CBP in Chicago. ICE handled the investigation that led to the seizure of the Paleozoic Era fossils. Authentication by experts at the Field Museum of Chicago determined that the fossils were approximately 525 million years old and had scientific value. The fossils came from the oldest fossil deposit of soft tissues of animals anywhere in the world.

WASHINGTON – Two former managers of the Bank of China and their wives were convicted on Aug. 29, 2008, by a federal jury in Las Vegas on charges of racketeering, money laundering, international transportation of stolen property as well as passport and visa fraud, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Gregory A. Brower of the District of Nevada announced today. Xu Chaofan (a/k/a Hui Yat Fai), Xu Guojun (a/k/a Hui Kit Shun), Kuang Wan Fang (a/k/a Wendy Kuang) and Yu Ying Yi were convicted after being charged in the 15-count superseding indictment on Jan. 31, 2006. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 24, 2008. Evidence presented during the trial established the elaborate scheme to defraud the Bank of China of at least $485 million, orchestrated by former managers Xu Chaofan, Xu Guojun and a third former bank manager, Yu Zhendong (a/k/a Yu Wing Chung) who pleaded guilty in connection with this investigation and cooperated with the Uni...