Tag Archives: U.S. Attorney’s Office

Two shark divers freed 19 sharks from a commercial longline. They’re facing five years in prison

The men, boat captain John R. Moore Jr., 56, and mate Tanner Mansell, 29, gathered up the three miles of line and freed 19 sharks and a Goliath grouper, a state-protected species. The three-hour effort was done with the help of their charter passengers, telling them the line was an abandoned “ghost set” of line, U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutors said. Two years later, a grand jury indicted Moore and Mansell of theft of commercial fishing gear in federal waters. A jury convicted the men last week, and they now face five years each in federal prison. The line, prosecutors said, belonged to a commercial fishing operator that was licensed to catch all the species of shark that were hooked that day.  >click to read< 07:48

Fishermen sentenced for poaching paddlefish in MS lake

Two commercial fishermen from Kentucky illegally harvested paddlefish and paddlefish roe from a Mississippi lake, and it cost them their livelihood for five years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi announced. James Lawrence “Lance” Freeman, 27, of Eddyville, Kentucky, and Marcus Harrell, 34, of Murray, Kentucky, pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Lacey Act,,, According to prosecutors, Freeman or Harrell would take roe they harvested from paddlefish in Moon Lake back to Kentucky to sell to commercial processors, falsely claiming that the paddlefish had been caught in the Ohio River,,, >click to read< 17:34

Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Murder Aboard Commercial Scallop Boat

Franklin Freddy Meave Vazquez, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of murder in the second degree, one count of attempted murder, and one count of assault with a dangerous weapon. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for June 28, 2022. Meave Vazquez was indicted in November 2018. On Sept. 23, 2018, the scalloping vessel, F/V Captain Billy Haver, was sailing approximately 55 miles off the coast of Nantucket with seven crew members aboard, including Meave Vazquez and the three victims.  Inside the shucking house, Meave Vazquez used a hammer to strike Victim A hard in the head into unconsciousness. Meave Vazquez then walked out onto the deck,,, >click to read< 22:17

Kodiak Fisherman Sentenced to Prison and fined $1M for Lacey Act violation

According to court documents, James Aaron Stevens, 47, an experienced commercial fisherman, vessel owner and captain, pled guilty in November 2020 to falsely labeling fish in violation of the Lacey Act. Stevens, owner and operator of F/V Alaskan Star and F/V Southern Seas, falsely reported where he harvested 903,208 pounds of individual fishing quota (IFQ) halibut and sablefish. Stevens knowingly falsified numerous documents, IFQ landing reports, Alaska Department of Fish and Game fish tickets, and fishing logbooks, to show that he harvested fish in locations and regulatory areas where he did not fish and omitted areas where he actually fished. Stevens committed this offense over the course of 26 fishing trips spanning four IFQ fishing seasons (2014-2017).  Taken together, the halibut and sablefish that Stevens falsely reported had an approximate dock value of $4,522,210 and market value of $13,566,630. Stevens sold the falsely labeled fish caught during these trips, which were, or were intended to be, transported in interstate and foreign commerce. >click to read< 19:08

Kodiak Fisherman will Plead Guilty to Federal Charges for Falsifying Fishing Records, a Lacey Act violation

James Aaron Stevens, 46, of Kodiak, will plead guilty to one count of false labeling, a Lacey Act violation, for knowingly submitting false records concerning the locations and regulatory areas where fish were harvested. According to admissions made in connection with the plea, Stevens, the owner and operator of F/V Alaskan Star and F/V Southern Seas out of Kodiak, falsely reported individual fishing quota (IFQ) halibut and IFQ sablefish between 2014 and 2017. Specifically, Stevens knowingly falsified International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) logbooks, Daily Fishing Logbooks, Alaska Department of Fish and Game fish tickets, and landing reports to show that fishing gear had been deployed in areas where the vessels did not fish, and omitted areas in which the fish were actually harvested.  In addition to his falsified logbooks, the investigation further revealed that Stevens maintained the accurate fishing information in a separate, personal log. >click to read< 13:21

U.S. Attorney’s Office sells convicted Tybee shrimper’s boat for $15K

A shrimp boat seized in a federal fraud investigation has a new home with a North Carolina seafood company. Assistant U.S. Attorneys with the Southern District of Georgia’s Asset Recovery Unit recently completed the sale of the 80-foot trawler to Lee Bland Williams of Scranton, N.C. Williams and his wife, Madge, own Hobo Seafood, a commercial fishing operation in Swanquarter, N.C. He purchased the boat for $15,000, and said despite significant repairs, the craft needs to make it seaworthy, he plans to have it ready for this summer’s shrimping season. >click to read<19:51

Fisherman Indicted For Murder Off Cape Cod

A federal grand jury has indicted a fisherman in the killing of another crew member on a fishing boat off Cape Cod, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.,, Federal authorities say on Sept. 23, 2018, Meave Vazquez assaulted a crew member with a hammer in one hand and a knife in the other onboard the Captain Billy Haver, which was sailing 55 miles off the coast of Nantucket. That victim then saw that another crew member was lying on the deck bleeding. >click to read<12:45

Cushing captain to admit guilt in deaths of crew members

Christopher A. Hutchinson, 30, is scheduled to enter guilty pleas to two counts of manslaughter at a hearing scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 26. In exchange, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has agreed to recommend a sentence of 48 months in prison with credit for time he has served while awaiting trial. That prison sentence would be followed by three years of supervised release. The charges carried a potential sentence of 10 years in prison. He has been held since March 2017. Hutchinson is charged with two counts of seaman’s manslaughter for the deaths of Tom Hammond, 27, of Rockland, and 15-year-old Tyler Sawyer, who lived in St. George and Waldoboro. They were crew members aboard Hutchinson’s lobsterboat, No Limits, which sank Nov. 1, 2014. >click to read<18:28

Federal prosecutors charge Casey’s Seafood owner in blue crab case

The president of a local seafood company was charged in Newport News federal court Friday with falsely labeling imported crab meat from foreign waters, passing it off as being more expensive Atlantic blue crab. James R. Casey, 74, of Poquoson, who owns Casey’s Seafood in Newport News, is accused of directing his employees to take crab from Asia and South America, blend it with true Atlantic blue crab, and put “Product of the USA” labels on the packages. >click here to read<12:57

Captain asks court to throw out blood test in fatal sinking case

The Cushing captain who is accused of causing the death of two crew members when his lobsterboat sank during a November 2014 gale has asked the court to throw out a blood test that showed he was under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is opposing the motion filed on behalf of 29-year-old Christopher A. Hutchinson. No ruling has yet been issued by the federal judge hearing the case in U.S. District Court in Portland. Hutchinson is charged with two counts of seaman’s manslaughter for the deaths of Tom Hammond, 27, of Rockland, and 15-year-old Tyler Sawyer, who lived in St. George and Waldoboro. They were crew members aboard Hutchinson’s lobsterboat, No Limits, which sank Nov. 1, 2014. click here to read the story 11:52

Bristol County Sheriff’s Dept. captain charged with smuggling in Rafael case

A captain with the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office was arrested and charged late Wednesday in connection with helping Carlos Rafael, the owner of one of the largest commercial fishing businesses in the U.S., smuggle the profits of his illegal overfishing scheme to Portugal, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. James Melo, 45, of Dartmouth, was charged with one count each of bulk cash smuggling, structuring and conspiracy. He was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond following his appearance in federal court in Boston late this afternoon, authorities said in a news release. click here to read the story 10:37

Carlos “The Codfather” Rafael sentencing delayed

The New Bedford fishing mogul known as “The Codfather” has been granted a new two-month delay prior to his sentencing on federal charges of conspiracy, falsifying fish quotas, and tax evasion. Carlos Rafael, 65, was slated to face sentencing Friday, and could face up to 76 months in prison on the three charges through plea agreement reached with the U.S. attorney’s office March 30. Federal prosecutors have recommended a prison term of 46 months and an extended time after that of supervised release, but U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young is not bound to abide by that recommendation. All of those terms are far less than the 20 years he could have faced under an original 27-count indictment. Young, however, granted a motion on July 11 that had been filed by Rafael’s attorney, William H. Kettlewell, asking for more time to resolve what Kettlewell called “a critical component of the overall resolution of this case.” Young and the U.S. attorney’s office agreed to set a new sentencing date for Sept. 25 at 2 p.m., according to spokeswoman Liz McCarthy. click here to read the story 16:50

Are the Feds gonna let Carlos cop a plea? Trial pushed back again!

Indicted New Bedford scallops magnate Carlos “Codfather” Rafael has asked the court to postpone his upcoming trial in part to pursue talks with prosecutors about “resolving” the matter, court documents show. One of Rafael’s attorneys, William Kettlewell, asked the Massachusetts federal court of judge William G. Young to postpone Rafael’s Feb. 13 trial to at least March 20. Young granted the order. The delay, the second in recent months, is required as Kettlewell is expected to represent a different client in a two-week trial beginning on Jan. 30, the lawyer wrote. But, that time can also be used for negotiations with prosecutors about a possible settlement. Read the story here – The federal trial of New Bedford fishing kingpin Carlos Rafael has been pushed back more than a month to March amid indications that Rafael is looking for a deal from federal prosecutors. Read the story here 15:49

North Carolina Commercial Fisherman Pleads Guilty to Illegally Harvesting and Selling Atlantic Striped Bass

The department-of-justice-logoannounced that today in federal court, James Ralph Craddock, 71, of Manns Harbor, pleaded guilty to federal charges regarding the illegal harvest and sale of Atlantic Striped Bass from federal waters off the coast of North Carolina in 2010. According to information in the public record, in February 2010, a Special Agent with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) received information that commercial trawlers were illegally fishing for Atlantic Striped Bass in federal waters off the coast of North Carolina. A single patrol vessel in the area intercepted one of 17 commercial trawlers in the EEZ, the fishing vessel Lady Samaira, boarded the vessel and found 173 Atlantic Striped Bass.  The captain later admitted to taking the fish from the EEZ. Given the other commercial trawlers in the same area, NOAA conducted an analysis of electronic data and written reports from those vessels.  Based on its review, NOAA determined that during the North Carolina 20-day ocean trawl season in January/February 2010, Craddock, then Captain of the 74-foot commercial fishing vessel Capt Ralph, harvested over 12,000 pounds of Atlantic Striped Bass. Read the rest here 19:50

Owner of Commercial Fishing Business and Local Sherrif’s Deputy Indicted in Scheme to Falsify Fishing Records

BOSTON – The owner of one of the largest commercial fishing businesses in the United States and a Bristol County Sheriff’s Deputy were charged in connection with a long-running scheme involving submitting falsified records to the federal government to evade federal fishing quotas and then smuggling the profits to Portugal. The federal indictment charging the two men was unsealed today after the arrest of the Sheriff’s Deputy. Carlos Rafael, 64, of Dartmouth, the owner of Carlos Seafood, Inc., was indicted on one count of conspiring to falsify reports submitted to the federal government, 25 counts of submitting falsified records and one count of bulk cash smuggling. Rafael was previously arrested on a criminal complaint filed in February 2016. Antonio Freitas, 46, of Taunton, a Sheriff’s Deputy with the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office, was indicted on one count of bulk cash smuggling and one count of structuring the export of U.S. currency. Freitas was arrested this morning and will appear today in U.S. District Court in Worcester. The charges arose out of an undercover investigation in which federal agents posed as organized crime figures interested in buying Carlos Seaford.  Read the rest here 18:09

Fishing violation nets Wrangell father, son $100K fine

judgementAn Alaskan federal judge on Monday fined a Wrangell father and son $100,000 for lying about where they were fishing for halibut in the Gulf of Alaska, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Burgess imposed the sentence for Charles “Chuck” J. Petticrew Sr., 70, and Charles “Jeff” J. Petticrew Jr., 42, in Juneau federal court. Both defendants had entered into a plea agreement and agreed to pay the fine when they pled guilty to violating the Lacey Act in October. ,,, Read the article here 21:13

Feds agree to return $71,500 stolen from fishermen’s cooperative in South Thomaston

One of the largest fishermen’s cooperative in the state will get back $71,500 seized by police during an investigation into the theft of more than $1 million in lobsters. The money was seized in October 2012 as part of a criminal investigation into Thompson, J.P. Shellfish of Eliot, and its owner John Price, 58, of Kittery. Read more here 17:50

Feds bust Boca man for illegally taking, then shipping, Florida Keys lobster

A Boca Raton man pleaded not guilty in federal court in Key West Friday to taking, possessing, transporting and selling Florida Keys spiny lobster in violation of federal law. Eric Burman, 60, faces a possible sentence of up to five years in prison, supervised release of up to three years and a fine of up to $250,000. Read more here  16:09

Federal double standard on endangered species laws?

The federal government is not shy about prosecuting those who violate threatened and endangered species laws. But under a new Obama administration policy, wind farm operators are getting 30-year permits to kill protected species. Read more here 11:48