A Mississippi coast restaurant which has hosted scores of celebrities from presidents to Hollywood A-listers and has catered events at the White House has admitted to selling customers foreign, frozen seafood and passed it off as “fresh Gulf seafood.”

It is a scheme which began as early as 2002, according to federal prosecutors.

A complaint filed in U.S. District Court said Mary Mahoney’s Old French House in Biloxi was selling fish described on the menu as premium higher priced local Gulf fish, such as snapper and grouper, but was in actuality perch from Africa, triple tail from Suriname, and Unicorn filefish from India.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration performed genetic testing on the fish which confirmed the scheme.

Between December 2013 and November 2019, the restaurant admitted to selling more than 29 tons of frozen and imported fish that was sold to customers as local premium species.

Restaurant co-owner Anthony Cvitanovich admitted that in just 2018 and 2019 alone, he was involved in mislabeling over 17,000 pounds of fish sold at the restaurant, according to prosecutors.

Mary Mahoney’s pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to conspiracy to misbrand seafood and wire fraud. Cvitanovich pleaded guilty to misbranding of seafood. Cvitanovich is facing up to three years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000, while the restaurant could get five years of probation and fines in excess of $500,000. Sentencing is scheduled for September.

“When people spend their hard-earned dollars to enjoy the incredible local seafood on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, they should get what they paid for, not frozen fish from overseas,” said U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee. “Mislabeling food and defrauding customers are serious crimes, and this case will help convince restaurants and seafood suppliers that it is not worth lying to customers about what is on the menu.”

In 2019, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) raided the restaurant, which has operated just off U.S. 90 in Biloxi since 1962. At the time, co-owner Bobby Mahoney, son of the original owners, told the Sun Herald “I think it’s about fish” when asked about the raid and denied any wrongdoing.

Mary Mahoney’s has enjoyed icon status for decades, playing host to celebrities ranging from President George W. Bush to movie and music stars such as Denzel Washington, Usher, Jimmy Buffett, Dick Clark, Waylon Jennings and many others.

The restaurant also catered an event at the White House during the Ronald Reagan administration.