Tag Archives: Gloucester District Court

‘Wicked Tuna’ captain pays $13K in tuna sale plea deal

The captain of the fishing vessel Hot Tuna, featured in the hit reality television show “Wicked Tuna,” found himself in some wicked hot water in October 2021 and recently paid for it. The case on nine counts of violation of a commercial fishing license against Capt. Timothy J. “TJ” Ott of Great Neck, New York, was disposed of on Oct. 28, 2022, according to Essex District Attorney spokesperson Carrie Kimball and court documents. Kimball said Ott was ordered to pay $13,500 in restitution. According to a district court clerk, the money goes to the state’s environmental trust fund. >click to read< 07:12

Lobsterman back in court – Only $720 of $10K fine paid for illegal lobsters

When James A. Santapaola Jr. got nabbed landing 183 illegal lobsters at a local lobster wholesaler two years ago, the Gloucester lobsterman eventually cut a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to 20 of the counts and pay two fines totaling $10,050. Now, nearly two years after the plea deal, Santapaola Jr. — who was arrested again last week on charges of possessing 47 illegal lobsters — has paid only $720 of the $10,050 in fines, according to the clerk’s office at the Gloucester District Court. ,,, The haul, according to law enforcement reports, included 28 undersized lobsters, 16 V-notched females and three oversized lobsters.>click to read<20:48

Headless tuna in the woods case still an open investigation

The Gloucester man charged with illegally disposing a headless tuna in woods off Revere Street last fall had his case continued for another five weeks in Gloucester District Court on Monday. But a spokeswoman for NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Law Enforcement said that agency has not yet begun to advance its federal case against Harold E. Wentworth, 40, of 24 Liberty St., and crew members of his fishing vessel, the Went-Way, over their alleged illegal landing of the fish last October. >click to read< 18:41

Arraignment set for man accused of landing 183 illegal lobsters

measuring-lobster_8468_990x742James A. Santapaola Jr., the Gloucester lobsterman accused of landing 183 illegal lobsters last month at a local lobster wholesaler, committed a similar offense in 2006, according to the incident report filed by Massachusetts Environmental Police. On Wednesday, Gloucester District Court Clerk Magistrate Margaret Crateau issued a criminal complaint against Santapaola, 40, of 16 Forest Lane, for allegedly landing the illegal lobsters at Captain Joe & Sons Inc. on East Main Street on Nov. 8. Crateau set Jan. 20 for Santapaola’s arraignment in Gloucester on the misdemeanor charges. The criminal complaint charges Santapaola landed 569 lobsters at Captain Joe & Sons on Nov. 8 that included 144 undersize lobsters, two egg-bearing female lobsters and 37 lobsters with V-notches indicating a breeding female. Earlier, Environmental Police officials said the wholesaler is not culpable in the illegal landings because it never took the lobsters into its possession. Read the rest here 16:09

Lobsterman faces multiple court dates over fishing charges

judgementGloucester lobsterman Joseph Sanfilippo has several court dates in his future for alleged violations of Massachusetts fishing regulations. On Tuesday, Sanfilippo, 48, of 1 Thorn Hill Way, Gloucester, was in  for a clerk magistrate’s hearing that was continued to March 1. The charges from that hearing — reportedly for numerous violations — would not be released until after the hearing was conducted. The magistrate would also determine if there were legal grounds to allow the charges to go forward. Read the rest here  10:43