Press Releases
MISSISSIPPI MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO FILING FALSE BYRD AMENDMENT CLAIM
January 21, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EARL H. FAYARD, JR., age 59, a resident of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, pled guilty in federal court before U. S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey today to one federal felony for making false or fraudulent claims against a federal agency, announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten.
According to the factual basis, FAYARD, the owner and operator of a family shrimp packing company, Ocean Springs Seafood Market Inc., admitted that he submitting a false and fraudulent certification to the U. S. Customs and Border Protection. U. S. Customs and Border Protection is the federal agency responsible for administrating Byrd Amendment distributions which are federally subsidized funds to U. S. seafood producers who compete with foreign imports.
FAYARD faces a possible maximum sentence of five (5) years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and three (3) years supervised release and a $100 special assessment. Sentencing is scheduled for April 21, 2009 at 10:00 A.M.
This investigation conducted by Special Agents of the NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Law Enforcement(OLE) and U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julia K. Evans.
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