U.S. Attorney's Office via AP

Totoaba bladders are displayed at a U.S. border crossing in downtown Calexico, Mexico. Seven people have been charged in a scheme to sell the bladders of an endangered Mexican fish considered a delicacy for use in Chinese soup, U.S. prosecutors said Wednesday.

The 73-year-old suspect in a smuggling case first got attention of federal investigators when they found 27 fish bladders in plastic bags under his vehicle’s car mats at the U.S.-Mexico border.

After agents released Song Shen Zhen, they followed him to a home in Calexico, Calif., a mid-sized city east of San Diego on the border. There they found that he had set up a factory filled with fans to dry the bladders of the endangered Totoaba fish, a once abundant fish that was heavily fished. The goal, officials say, was to ship the fish bladders overseas for large amounts of money.

An expensive delicacy in China, Totoaba meat is used in soups. Many believe it to be a treatment for infertility or circulation and skin problems.

Read the original story at NBC San Diego 

At the factory, they found 240 bladders laid out in rows to dry with the fans blowing on them. Federal prosecutors say they found ledgers that indicate the operation could have made more than $3.6 million profit if the fish had been sold abroad.

Customs and Border Protection officers have been noticing the rare fish, which can grow to 6 ½ feet in length, protected in the U.S. and Mexico, showing up in coolers hidden inside vehicles. Since February, inspectors have seized approximately 483 pounds of Totoaba in Calexico, officials said.

In the last two months, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged seven people with Totoaba smuggling.

“While we may never know how many Totoaba bladders were harvested illegally, such disregard for the protections that were put in place to benefit this endangered species could have a disastrous effect on the fish population,” Deputy Chief Edward Grace said in a statement.

The fish are found in the Sea of Cortez between Baja California and Mexico. As part of their annual migration, Totoaba head north to the Colorado River delta where they spawn from March to May.

If convicted, Zhen faces 25 years in custody and a $500,000 fine.

Quick word of advice: If you need to go talk to a teller this Friday about  11 a.m. and you live in Alabama … don’t.

Reuters advises us that according to government statistics, the most common time for bank robberies are midmorning on Fridays. The most common place is southern and western states.

The good news? It appears that despite the fact that more people may actually need the money, the number of bank crimes (that includes burglaries, even though we thought that only happened in the movies) fell from 6,065 in 2009 to 5,628 in 2010.

No word on how long the robbers had to wait at the four-window counter that – of course – always only has one window open.

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Who are the biggest tax cheats in America? Single men under age 45.

Sixty-four percent of people who admit to fudging their taxes were single men, and 55 percent were under 45, according to a recent survey by DDB Worldwide Communications Group. The good news: Only 15 percent of Americans admitted to cheating the tax man.

An inability to smartly manage money appears to be another characteristic of self-identified cheaters − 42 percent said their financial situation was "one missed paycheck away from disaster," the survey found. Cheaters are less likely to save money, with 45 percent describing themselves as "a spender rather than a saver."

"We've found that there are no major differences in income between tax cheaters and noncheaters," said James Lou, a strategist with DDB. "However, there are significant differences in how they make their income last and how they view themselves."

It comes as no surprise the survey found that those trying to fool the IRS are more likely than their noncheating counterparts to engage in shady behavior.

"Their willingness to cheat is not limited to their taxes but spans a wide range of situations and behavior where they are looking to get away with something," Lou said.

How cheaters compare with noncheaters:

• Taking money from their child's piggy bank: 28% vs. 8%
• Working a job under the table while getting unemployment: 73% vs. 20%
• Keeping the wrong change given to them by a cashier: 71% vs. 3%
• Asking a friend to pose as an ex-boss on a reference check: 59% vs. 13%
• Lying about their income to qualify for free government aid: 51% vs. 5%
• Lying about finding something in their food to get a free meal: 26% vs. 3%
• Wearing an outfit to an event and then returning it: 46% vs. 14%
• Keeping a $20 bill they saw somebody drop: 31% vs. 12%
• Shoplifting: 37% vs. 3%