Federal charges filed against Calif. sushi restaurant owner, chef over alleged whale serving

Sushi restaurant, chef charged over whale meat

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Federal prosecutors have filed charges against a sushi chef and a Santa Monica restaurant accused of serving illegal and endangered whale meat.

Typhoon Restaurant Inc., which owns The Hump restaurant, and 45-year-old Kiyoshiro Yamamoto of Culver City, were charged Wednesday with illegally selling an endangered species product, a misdemeanor.

Two undercover diners requested whale as part of a $600 “chef’s choice” meal. The women were working with producers of the Oscar-winning documentary, “The Cove,” to videotape the meal.

Court records say they pocketed a sample, and testing confirmed it was Sei whale meat.

An attorney for Typhoon, Gary Lincenberg, says the restaurant accepts responsibility and will agree to pay a fine. If convicted, the company could be fined $200,000.

Yamamoto faces a year in prison and a $100,000 fine, if convicted. His attorney, Mark Byrne, declined to comment.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — Federal prosecutors have filed charges against the owner of a California restaurant and its sushi chef that marine mammal activists say served illegal whale meat.

Typhoon Restaurant Inc., which owns The Hump restaurant in Santa Monica, and Kiyoshiro Yamamoto, a 45-year-old Culver City resident, were charged Wednesday with illegally selling an endangered species product, a misdemeanor.

Two undercover diners requested whale as part of an $600 omakase (oh-mah-KAH’-say) or chef’s choice, meal. The young women were working with the producers of the Oscar-winning documentary, “The Cove,” to record the whole meal.

They pocketed a sample, and genetic testing confirmed that it was meat from the endangered Sei whale.

If convicted, Yamamoto could face a year in prison and a fine of $100,000. The company could be fined $200,000.