Latest news with #LaceyAct
CTV News
6 days ago
- CTV News
Man who led illegal duck hunting trips to B.C. pleads guilty in U.S., faces US$175K fine
A Washington state resident and his company have admitted in U.S. court to illegally leading duck hunting trips into British Columbia, where he was not allowed to operate as a guide. Branden Trager and his company Mayhem Services LLC now face a recommended total of US$175,000 in fines for related crimes they also admitted committing. The Brush Prairie, Wash., resident and the company pleaded guilty Monday in a U.S. court to violating the Lacey Act, a U.S. federal law that prohibits the trade and transport of wildlife taken in violation of domestic or foreign law. 'In pleading guilty, Trager admitted he and Mayhem Services violated the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) during a January 2023 hunting trip in western Washington and then transported the taken birds in violation of the Lacey Act,' the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release Tuesday. 'Trager also acknowledged that in 2022 he brought hunters into British Columbia, Canada, where he guided waterfowl hunting trips targeting the harlequin duck. He could not operate as a hunting guide under Canadian law.' According to the department, the harlequin duck ranges from Alaska to California and is prized by hunters as a trophy and as part of a challenge to hunt 41 species of North American waterfowl. Washington state closed harlequin hunting for the 2022-23 season, but limited hunting remained open in B.C., the department said. The plea agreements filed in court recommend fines of $100,000 for Trager and $75,000 for his company. A sentencing in the matter is scheduled for Oct. 16. When it first announced the charges in January, the department alleged Trager had not only violated the MBTA and the Lacey Act, but also conspired with an unnamed, B.C.-based taxidermist to send the birds back to the United States. The latest release from the Department of Justice makes no mention of the conspiracy charge, suggesting that it may have been dropped. CTV News has reached out to the department for more information on what happened to that allegation. This story will be updated if a response is received. According to the department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement led the investigation, with help from the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Homeland Security Investigations.
CTV News
6 days ago
- CTV News
Man who led illegal duck hunting trips to B.C. pleads guilty in U.S., faces $175K fine
A Washington state resident and his company have admitted in U.S. court to illegally leading duck hunting trips into British Columbia, where he was not allowed to operate as a guide. Branden Trager and his company Mayhem Services LLC now face a recommended total of US$175,000 in fines for related crimes they also admitted committing. The Brush Prairie, Wash., resident and the company pleaded guilty Monday in a U.S. court to violating the Lacey Act, a U.S. federal law that prohibits the trade and transport of wildlife taken in violation of domestic or foreign law. 'In pleading guilty, Trager admitted he and Mayhem Services violated the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) during a January 2023 hunting trip in western Washington and then transported the taken birds in violation of the Lacey Act,' the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release Tuesday. 'Trager also acknowledged that in 2022 he brought hunters into British Columbia, Canada, where he guided waterfowl hunting trips targeting the harlequin duck. He could not operate as a hunting guide under Canadian law.' According to the department, the harlequin duck ranges from Alaska to California and is prized by hunters as a trophy and as part of a challenge to hunt 41 species of North American waterfowl. Washington state closed harlequin hunting for the 2022-23 season, but limited hunting remained open in B.C., the department said. The plea agreements filed in court recommend fines of $100,000 for Trager and $75,000 for his company. A sentencing in the matter is scheduled for Oct. 16. When it first announced the charges in January, the department alleged Trager had not only violated the MBTA and the Lacey Act, but also conspired with an unnamed, B.C.-based taxidermist to send the birds back to the United States. The latest release from the Department of Justice makes no mention of the conspiracy charge, suggesting that it may have been dropped. CTV News has reached out to the department for more information on what happened to that allegation. This story will be updated if a response is received. According to the department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement led the investigation, with help from the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Homeland Security Investigations.
UPI
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
'Tiger King' cast member 'Doc' Antle sentenced for animal trafficking
July 8 (UPI) -- Bhagavan "Doc" Antle of "Tiger King" is going to federal prison for crimes related to trafficking exotic animals after being sentenced Tuesday in Charleston, S.C. U.S. District Court of South Carolina Judge Joseph Lawson III sentenced Antle, 65, to serve 12 months and one day, plus a $55,000 fine and three years of supervised release for violating the Lacey Act, WBTW reported. The Lacey Act bans the sale of illegally acquired wildlife, fish or plants, including those that are designated as protected species by the federal government. Antle entered guilty pleas to conspiracy and money laundering charges in November 2023 and was a cast member of the popular Netflix documentary series "Tiger King" that debuted on Netflix in March 2020. "I made a mistake," Antle told the court on Tuesday. "I did stupid things that never should have taken place, and I'm hoping to pull it back together." Antle founded the Myrtle Beach Safari wildlife preserve in South Carolina and was accused of conspiring to arrange the purchase or sale of two tigers, two lion cubs, two cheetah cubs and a young chimpanzee from September 2018 to May 2020. The animals are protected by the federal Endangered Species Act. Federal prosecutors said Antle hid the transactions by using bulk cash payments and falsified paperwork to hide the financial transactions by making them appear to be donations to the non-profit wildlife preserve. Antle also was accused of laundering proceeds in exchange for a 15% fee related to transporting and harboring "illegal aliens" from February to April 2022. Police arrested Antle in June 2022 on charges of wildlife trafficking, for which he was convicted on four counts in a commonwealth court in Frederick County, Va., in 2023, WCIV reported. The Virginia court sentenced Antle to a suspended sentence of two concurrent years for each charge and $10,000 in fines. An appellate court overturned two of those convictions, and he was banned from working with, possessing, trading or otherwise engaging in activities involving non-native species in Virginia for five years. Two of Antle's employees also were convicted for their part in the criminal activities. Meredith Bybee served a year of probation for selling a chimpanzee, and Andrew Sawyer served two years of probation for helping Antle launder money.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Yahoo
‘Doc' Antle's federal sentencing for conspiracy, money laundering moved to July 8
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WBTW) — The sentencing hearing on federal charges for Myrtle Beach Safari founder Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle is now scheduled for July 8 in U.S. District Court in Charleston. Antle, the former star of the 'Tiger King' docuseries on Netflix, pleaded guilty in November 2023 to federal conspiracy and money laundering charges — admitting to violations of The Lacey Act, which prohibits trafficking of illegally taken wildlife, fish or plants, including animals protected under the Endangered Species Act. A timeline of all details in the ongoing 'Doc' Antle case According to online federal court records, Antle's sentencing had been scheduled for Tuesday. However, after being moved to June 23, it was reset again last week. Antle is now scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Joseph Dawson III at 10:30 a.m. on July 8. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release for each count. The Myrtle Beach Safari is a 50-acre wildlife tropical preserve that offers tours and private encounters with exotic wildlife. Antle is also the director of the Rare Species Fund, a nonprofit organization registered in South Carolina. According to the DOJ, Antle conspired to violate the Lacey Act between September 2018 and May 2020 by directing the sale or purchase of two cheetah cubs, two lion cubs, two tigers and a juvenile chimpanzee — all of which are protected under the Endangered Species Act. Antle scored a legal win in February after the Virginia Court of Appeals tossed a pair of felony convictions. Antle's lawyers argued that his conviction for purchasing lion cubs was the result of a misunderstanding of a Virginia statute that prohibits the sale of endangered species but not their purchase. * * * Dennis Bright is the Digital Executive Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kodiak fishermen sentenced over illegal transport of Alaskan crab to Washington
This story was originally published on A Kodiak fisherman has been sentenced to one year in jail for illegally shipping thousands of pounds of tanner crab infected with parasites from Alaska to Washington. Corey Potter, 64, owned and operated two crab catcher vessels and caught tanner crab and golden king crab in Southeast Alaskan waters during February and March of 2024, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Alaska. The co-defendants, Kyle Potter, 30, and Justin Welch, 34, followed directions from Corey Potter and transported the harvested crab to Seattle, intending to sell the crabs at a higher price than would be received in Alaska, according to the news release. One of the vessels had more than 4,200 pounds of live tanner crab aboard, and the other vessel had more than 2,900 pounds of live golden king crab. 'A portion of the Tanner crab was infected with Bitter Crab Syndrome (BCS), a parasitic disease that is fatal to crustaceans,' the release stated. 'Roughly 42% of the king crab died and was unmarketable. Since the other vessel had BCS contaminated crabs, the entire catch of Tanner crab was transferred to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to dispose of in a landfill.' Law enforcement served a search warrant on Welch and his fishing vessel in March 2024, which prompted Welch to inform Corey Potter and Kyle Potter of the search, and both deleted text messages detailing their plans to sell the crab for better prices in Seattle, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Corey Potter pled guilty to two counts of violating the Lacey Act on Feb. 7, 2025, according to the attorney's office. Corey was also ordered to a worldwide commercial fishing ban throughout the duration of his supervised release. Kyle Potter pled guilty and was sentenced on July 10, 2024, to five years' probation, including a five-year worldwide commercial fishing ban concurrent with probation, and a $20,000 fine, according to the release. Welch pled guilty and was sentenced on June 25, 2024, to three years' probation and a $10,000 fine. Michael J. Heyman, U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska, mentioned in the news release the importance of abiding by federal laws and factually reporting a harvest. 'Mr. Potter blatantly disregarded state and federal fishing laws and ignored the concerns of other fisherman when he directed his two captains to execute the illegal transport, resulting in the reckless loss of over 5,000 pounds of crab,' Heyman said.
