Caviar Dealer Sentenced for Illegal Trafficking
A man believed to be the largest caviar distributor in the country was sentenced to a year and nine months in prison for trafficking illegally in caviar and violating endangered species laws.
Arkady Panchernikov, a 53-year-old Russian immigrant, was also fined $400,000 in federal court in Brooklyn.
Panchernikov, an owner of Caviar Russe, a New York City caviar bar, admitted importing Russian caviar without proper permits and falsely labeling tins as high-grade. Prosecutors said the illegally traded caviar was worth more than $600,000.
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