Tag Archives: falsify fishing records
Fishermen get probation, fines for scheme to avoid herring quotas
Eight men from Maine and one from New Hampshire – comprised of the owner, captains, and crew members of a commercial fishing vessel, the Western Sea, and owners of local Maine fisheries – have been sentenced for knowingly subverting commercial fishing reporting requirements. The final six sentences in the complex case were handed down this week by U.S. District Judge Jon Levy in U.S. District Court in Portland, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Thursday July 11. The Western Sea is a fishing vessel that operated out of Rockland and fished for Atlantic herring. Atlantic herring is the primary bait fish for Maine’s lobster industry. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:49
Five Maine fishermen plead guilty in herring scheme
The trial of five fishermen accused of a multi-year scheme to sell unreported Atlantic herring and falsify fishing records ended Monday when the defendants all pleaded guilty to lesser offenses. No sentencing date has been scheduled. The plea agreements call for a maximum sentence of a year in prison, a fine of up to $100,000, and up to one year of supervised release. The defendants, however, may end up with no jail time. Fifty-nine counts against the five defendants were dismissed in exchange to the pleas on lesser charges. The trial began last week in U.S. District Court in Portland and was expected to last nine days. The five defendants who pleaded were Glenn Robbins, 76, of Eliot; Ethan Chase, 46, of Portsmouth, N.H.; Neil Herrick, 48, of Rockland; Stephen Little, 58, of Warren; Jason Parent, 51, of Owls Head; and Western Sea, Inc. more, >>click to reads<< 16:20
Federal trial starts for five fishermen accused of multi-year scheme
The jury trial of five people charged with a multi-year scheme to sell unreported Atlantic herring and falsify fishing records began Thursday, March 7. The trial is expected to last nine days in the U.S. District Court in Portland. The jury was selected this week. Opening statements were scheduled to start March 7. The five defendants — who have pleaded not guilty — are Glenn Robbins, 76, of Eliot; Ethan Chase, 46, of Portsmouth, N.H.; Neil Herrick, 48, of Rockland; Stephen Little, 58, of Warren; Jason Parent, 51, of Owls Head; and Western Sea, Inc. Other defendants have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. more, >>click to read<< 11:31
Trial date set for fishermen charged with fraud, violation of herring laws
The trial for the fishermen and seafood dealers who were indicted in 2022 with conspiracy, mail fraud, and obstruction of justice in connection with a multi-year scheme to sell unreported Atlantic herring and falsify fishing records will begin Jan. 3 and is expected to last eight days. The defendants who were indicted in January 2022 in U.S. District Court were Glenn Robbins, 76, of Eliot; Ethan Chase, 46, of Portsmouth, N.H.; Neil Herrick, 48, of Rockland; Stephen Little, 58, of Warren; Jason Parent, 51, of Owls Head; Dustin Reed, 41, of Waldoboro; Glenn Lawrence, 70, of Owls Head; Samuel Olson, 73, of Cushing; the Western Sea, Inc. of Rockland; New Moon Fisheries, of Waldoboro; and Sam’s Seafood of Cushing, according to the court document. more. >>click to read<< 07:47
Fishermen indicted in federal court for alleged fraud, violation of herring laws face September trial
A hearing is scheduled for Aug. 23 in U.S. District Court regarding trial scheduling and a motion to continue for the fishermen and seafood dealers who were indicted in 2022 with conspiracy, mail fraud, and obstruction of justice in connection with a multi-year scheme to sell unreported Atlantic herring and falsify fishing records. Jury selection is scheduled to begin on Sept. 5. The trial is anticipated for September and expected to last two weeks. According to the indictment, between June 2016 and September 2019, the owner, captains, and crew aboard the fishing vessel Western Sea sold more than 2.6 million pounds of Atlantic herring that was not reported to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The indictment alleges that members of the crew were paid directly by fish dealers and lobster vessel operators for the unreported herring. >click to read< 12:56
Trial for fishermen netted in federal probe set for September
The trial of six fishermen, two seafood dealers, along with corporations they own, who are charged in connection with a multi-year scheme to sell unreported Atlantic herring and falsify fishing records, has been scheduled for September. The postponement from August was made by the court as it considers a motion to reconsider an earlier judge’s ruling to deny suppressing statements made by a defendant to Marine Patrol officers. Glenn Robbins, 76, of Eliot; Ethan Chase, 46, of Portsmouth, N.H.; Neil Herrick, 48, of Rockland; Andrew Banow, 37, of Rockport; Stephen Little, 58, of Warren; Jason Parent, 51, of Owls Head; and Western Sea, Inc., were named in a 35-count indictment issued in January 2022. A superseding indictment was issued by a federal grand jury in October 2022 which included those defendants as well as Duston Reed, 41, of Waldoboro; New Moon Fisheries of Waldoboro; Glenn Lawrence, 70, of Owls Head; Samuel Olson, 73, of Cushing; and Sam’s Seafood of Cushing. >click to read< 15:29
Feds indict local fishermen, alleging multi-year fraud scheme
Five fishermen from Maine and one fisherman from New Hampshire, along with a corporation, were charged with conspiracy, mail fraud, and obstruction of justice in connection with a multi-year scheme to sell unreported Atlantic herring and falsify fishing records, U.S. Attorney Darcie McElwee announced Friday. Glenn Robbins, 75, of Eliot; Ethan Chase, 44, of Portsmouth, N.H.; Neil Herrick, 46, of Rockland; Andrew Banow, 35, of Rockport; Stephen Little, 56, of Warren; Jason Parent, 49, of Owls Head; and Western Sea, Inc., were named in a 35-count indictment returned Friday, Jan. 28. >click to read< 17:02
