California Sushi Restaurant Accused Of Serving Whale

A Los Angeles sushi chef could face up to 67 years in prison if convicted of selling whale sushi.

The Santa Monica Mirror reports that two chefs from The Hump restaurant in the Santa Monica airport (the restaurant closed in 2010), are charged with selling Sei whale, an endangered species prohibited from sale in the United States.

If convicted, The Hump's parent company Typhoon Restaurant, Inc. could be fined up to $1.2 million. The two chefs also included in the lawsuit could be given hefty prison sentences; Kiyoshiro Yamamoto could face up to 67 years in prison while Susumu Ueda could face up to 10 years.

According to the criminal complaint, the restaurant sold whale sushi to customers three times, "some straight from the trunk of a Mercedes," the Mirror reports. Agents filmed a waitress serving eight pieces of what she identified as whale.

In the past, Amazon has gotten in trouble for selling whale and dolphin meat in its foreign shops, and a London bar was recently raided for allegedly selling whale-infused whiskey.