UNITED STATESDISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

CASE NO. 22-20479-CR-M 01V N0

UM TED STATESOF AM ERICA

AIFA SEAFOOD INC.

Defendant./

PLEA A GREEM ENT

The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern Districtof Floridaland M FA

SEAFOOD INC.(AIFA)(hereinafterreferredtoastheGsdefendanf')enterintothefolowing

agreem entpursuanttoRule 11oftheFederalRulesofCrim inalProcedtlre.

GuiltvPlea

Thedefendantagreestoplead guil'ty to Count2ofthelndictmentfiled againstit,

whichcotmtchargesthedefendantdidknowinglycausetobemadeandsublniited,afalserecord,

accotmt,labelfor,andfalseidentificationoffishandwildlife,namelyspinylobster(Panuluris

argus),withamarketvaluegreaterthan$350,inthatdefendantdirectedtherepackagingandfalse.

labellingofspiny lobsterimported from HaitiasproductoftheUnited States,saidlobsterbeing

intended forsale and transportation in foreign comm erce to China,and did aid ând abetother

personsin so doing,in violation ofTitle 16,United StatesCode,Sections3372(*(2)and

3373(d)(3)(A),andTitle18,UnitedStatesCode,Section2.

B. Thedefendantagreesto admitthatitisinfactguiltyofthefelony offensecharged

in the Indictm ent through the actions of its employees, acting within the scope of their

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employm ent.

ll.

A. ThedefendantwillprovidetotheUnited Statesm itten evidenceinthefonn ofa

notarizedresolutionoftheBoardofDirectorswithbothnotaryandcorporateseals,certifyingthat

Cop orateAuthorizationandOrcanizationalChalw es

AIFA isauthorizedtopleadguiltytothefelonyoffensesetforthinCount2oftheIndictm ent,and

to enterintoand complywitha11provisionsofthispleaagreem ent. Theresolution shallfurther

certify thatitsPresidentisauthorized to takethese actions and thata11corporate formalities,

including butnot limited to,approvalby the AIFA Board ofDirectors,required for such

authorization,havebeen obselwed. ThedefendantagreesthatthePresidentofthecom panyshall

appearonbehalfofthecompanytoentertheguiltypleaandforimposition ofthesentenceinthe

United StatesDistrictCourtfortheSouthem DistrictofFlorida.

Atal1relevanttim es,AIFA ELITE wasacorporationorganizedtmderthelawsof

thestateofFloridawith itsprincipalplaceofbusinessat30N .W .12thStreet, FloridaCity,FL,

which wasengaged in thedom estic and internationalwholesaletrade ofcnzstaceansand other

seafoodproducts,includingSpinyLobster.

111. SentencingGuidelinesandPenalties

The defendantis aware thatthe sentence willbe imposed by the Coul'tafter

considering the adviso,y Federalsentencing Guidelinesand Policy.statements(hereinafter

EtsentencingGuidelines''). Thedefendantaclcnowledges.andtmderstandsthattheCourtwil

computeanadvisory sentenceundertheSentencingGuidelinesandthattheapplicableguidelhles

willbedeterminedbytheCöurtrelyinginpartontheresultsofapre-sentenceinvestigationbythe t

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Court'sprobationoffice,whichinvestigationwillcomm enceaftertheguiltypleahasbeenentered.

The defendantisalso awarethat,undercel-tain circllmstances,the Courtm ay departfrom the

advisorysentencingglzidelinerangethatithascomputedandmayraiseorlowerthatadvisory

sentenceundertheSentencing Guidelines. Thedefendantisfudherawareandtm derstandsthat

theCourtisrequiredto considertheadvisory guidelinerangedetermined tmdertheSentencing

Gtlidelinesbutisnotbotm dtoimposeasentencewithinthatadvisoryrange;theCourtispennitted

totailortheultim atesentenceinlightofotherstatutoryconcerns,andsuchsentencem aybeeither

moresevereorlesssevereth% theSentencingGuidelines'advisoryrange. Knowingthesefacts,

the defendanttmderstandsand acknowledgesthatthe Courthasthe authority to impose any

sentencewithinanduptothestatutorym aximtlm authorizedby1aw fortheoffenseidentified in

paragraph1(A)andthatthedefendantmaynotwithdrawthepleasolelyasaresultofthesentence

imposed.

B. Thepartiesagreethatthem aximllm am ountofthefinewhichm aybeimposedfor

eachoftheoffensesbroughttmderthestattztecharged inCount2 isthegreaterof:afineofupto

$500,000percotmt,ortwicethegrosspeclmiarygainorlossresultingfrom theoffenseptlrsuant

toTitle18,UnitedStatesCode,Section 3571(d)and3571(c)(3).Inaddition,thedefendant

understandsandagreesthatitmaybesubjecttoaterm ofprobationofnotmoreth% 5years.Title

18,UnitedStatesCode,Section,3561(c)(1).

C. Defendantfurther agreesthatany fines and penalties imposed by the Courtat

sentencing m ay bedirected aspermittedby 1aw to variousrewardftm dstobedesignated by the

UnitedStates.

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The defendantfurther understands and acknowledges that,in addition to any

sentenceimposedunderthisagreement,aspecialassessmentintheamotmtof$400.00willbe

imposed on the defendant,payableto the tGclerk,United StatesDistrictCottrt''atthe tim eof

sentencing.Title18,UnitedStatesCode,Section3013(a)(2)(B).

E. Thedefendantisawarethatthesentencehasnotyetbeendeterminedbythecout't.

Thedefendantisalsoawarethatatlyestim ateoftheprobablesentencingrangeorsentencethatthe

defendantm ayreceive,isaprediction,notaprom ise,andisnotbindingontheUnited States,the

Probation Office,orthe Court.Thedefendantfurthertmderstatldsthatany recomm endationthat

theUnited Statesm akestotheCourtastosentencing,whetherpursuanttothisPleaAgreem entoè

otherwise,isnotbinding on the Court,and theCotu'tm ay disregard therecom mendation in its

entirety.The d. efendanttmderstandsand acknowledges,aspreviously acknowledged in Section

11I.A,above,thatthedefendantm aynotwithdraw itspleab/sedupontheCotlrt'sdecisionnotto

accept a sentencing recomm endation m ade by the defendant, the United States, or a

recommendationmadejointlyby'both.

F. TheUnitedStatesreservestherighttoinform thecourtandtheprobationofficeof

allfactspertinentto thesentencing process,including al1relevantinform ation concelting the

offenses comm itted,whether charged or not,as wellas concem ing the defendant and the

defendant'sbackground.Subjectonly to the expresstermsofany agreed-upon sentencing

recom mendationscontainedinthisagreem eht,theUnitedStatesfurtherreservestherighttom ake

anyrecomm endationastothequalityandquantity ofpunishm ent.

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AdditionalLiabilitv

A. TheUnitedStatesagreesthatinretum forAIFA 'Srepresentationsandundertaldngs

in thisagreem ent,theUnited Stateswillnotfile additionalcharges againstitin the Southern

DistrictofFloridaforviolationsassociated with improperexporttransactionsinvolving Spiny

Lobsterknown and disclosed to theUnited States,asofthe date ofthisagreem ent.Thisplea

agreem entdoesnotprovideorpromiseanywaiverofany civiloradm inistrativeactionsthatmay

apply,including,butnotlimited to:fines,penalties,suspensions,debarmentlisting,licensing

revocationorderlial,injlmctiverelief,orremedialactiontocomplywithanyapplicableregulatory

requirem ent.

V . ExpressW aiverofRichttoAppealGuiltvPleaand Sentence

ThedefendmltisawarethatTitle28,UnitedStatesCode,Section 1291andTitle18,United

StatesCode,Section 3742 wouldnorm ally affordthedefendanttherightto appealthesentence

imposedintlziscase.Acknowledgingthis,in exchangefortheundertakingsmadeby theUnited

Statesinthispleaagreem ent,thedefendanthereby waivesalldghtsconferred by Sections1291

and3742toappealany syntenceimposed,includinganyrestitm ionorder,ortoappealthem nnner

inwhichthesentencewasimposed,llnlessthesentenceexceedsthemaxim um perm ittedbystatute

oristheresultofanupwarddeparturef'rom theadvisoryguidelinerangethattheCourtestablishçs

atsentencing.Thedefendantfurtherlmderstandsthatnothing in thisagreementshallaffectthe

governm ent'slightand/orduty to appealassetforth in Title 18,United StatesCode,Section

3742(b)andTitle28,UrlitedStatesCode,Section1291.However,iftheUnitedStatesappealsthe

defendant'ssentenceplzrsuanttoSections3742(19and1291,thedefendantshallbereleasedfrom

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theabovewaiverofitsrighttoappealthesentence.Thedefendantfurtherherebyw aivesallrights

conferredbyTitle28,UnitedStatesCode,Section1291toassel'tanyclaim that(1)thestatutesto

whichthedefendantispleadingguiltyaretmconstitmional;and/or(2)theadmittedconductdoes

notfallwithin thescopeofthestatm esofconviction.By signing thisagreement,the defendant

acknowledgesthatthedefendanthasdiscussedtheappealwaiversetforth inthisagreem entwith

thedefendant'satlorney.Thedefendantf'urtheragrees,togetherwith thisOffice,torequestthat

theCout'tenteraspecificfindingthatthedefendant'swaiverofitsrightto appealthe sentence

imposed in thiscaseand hisrightto appealhisconviction in them annerdescribed above was

knowingandvoltmtary.

VI. Thisistheentireagreem entandunderstandingbetweentheUnited Statesandthe

defendant.Therearenootheragreements,prom ises,representations,orlm derstandings.

Respectfullysubm itled,

M ARKENZY LAPOINTE

UN D STATES TTOIG EY

em= -. gi

.

. - '

T omasA.W a T it erald

AssistantUnitedStatesAttorney

FloridaBarNo.0273538

.A

D R .BALLARO T0,EsQ.

A ORNEYFoRDEFBNDXNT

EN,PESIDEN T

,' AIFA SEM OOD INC.

- . W

-/ ,j:=m

By:

Reviewed andagreedto:

Date: <J 'C Q-oœ

Date:% F' -Z.oZ.

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