Tag Archives: U.S. Department of Justice
Canadian Company Pleads Guilty to Illegally Selling Harp Seal Oil in the United States
FeelGood Natural Health Stores Ltd. (FeelGood) pleaded guilty today to one count of violating the Lacey Act by knowingly transporting and selling harp seal oil capsules in violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). According to the plea agreement, FeelGood is a Canadian corporation located in Whitby, Ontario, Canada. Between at least April 2019 and May 2021, FeelGood offered harp seal oil capsules for sale in the United States on both its own webpage and a third-party platform. It did so even though its website on the third-party platform acknowledged, “NOT ship to USA,” and though FeelGood received a notice that some shipments had been seized by the federal government for violation of the MMPA. >click to read< 18:55
DOJ Digs Into “Competition Concerns” in New England Fishing Industry
The U.S. Department of Justice has begun looking at possible antitrust issues in the New England fishing industry, amid growing concern about consolidation and market dominance by private equity investors. One such firm is Blue Harvest Fisheries, which operates out of New Bedford, Massachusetts, and is the largest holder of permits to catch groundfish such as pollock, haddock and ocean perch. The investigation traced the company’s ownership to a billionaire Dutch family via a private equity firm. Over the past seven years, records show, the company has purchased the rights to catch 12% of groundfish in the region, approaching the antitrust cap of 15.5%. It further boosts its market share by leasing fishing rights from other permit owners. >click to read< 07:50
Feds charge Montauk fisherman, Gosmans with violating fishing limits, conspiracy, obstruction
Charged with Conspiracy, Fraud, and Obstruction – Today, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of New York unsealed the indictment of one fisherman, a wholesale fish dealer, and two of its managers for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and obstruction in connection with a scheme to illegally overharvest fluke and black sea bass. All four defendants are from Montauk. >click to read< Other stories of F/V New Age, >click here<
B.C. seafood company pleads guilty to illegally importing fish into the U.S.
A British Columbia seafood seller has admitted to illegally importing into the U.S. thousands of pounds of fish that were deemed unsafe to eat.
Seven Seas Fish Company, a seafood wholesaler based in Richmond, B.C., and its owner, John Heras, pleaded guilty in court in Seattle, Wash., on Friday. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the fish — which had been purchased in Mexico — had previously been rejected from entering the United States during an inspection. >click to read< 09:35
Justice Department fines 2 Hawaii commercial fishing companies over illegal discharge
Two Honolulu-based commercial fishing companies have been ordered to pay civil fines after they discharged oily bilge waste into the Pacific Ocean. Under a settlement reached with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Coast Guard, Triple Dragon, LLC, its company manager and vessel operator have been ordered to pay fines totaling $25,500 for violations of the Clean Water Act and the Coast Guard’s spill prevention and pollution control regulations. The other company, Capt. Millions III, its manager and vessel operator were ordered to pay fines totaling $22,000 for the same violations. >click to read<18:18
Fishing company to pay $400,000 penalty following 4,200 gallon fuel spill into New Bedford Harbor
In August of 2017, the Challenge, a fishing boat owned by the New Bedford company Quinn Fisheries, sunk while docked on the city’s waterfront, causing a fuel spill that spread over a mile and killed at least five ducks. The Coast Guard and the U.S. Department of Justice launched an inquiry, and found that the ship sunk when its captain failed to shut off a valve after illegally dumping bilge into the harbor and leaving the boat for the day, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court >click to read< 22:30
August 16, 2017 – Fishing vessel sinks in New Bedford Harbor >click to read<
Prominent Shrimper found guilty of federal charges
A Tybee Island shrimper and member of a prominent local family was convicted by a federal jury on multiple counts of false statements, mail fraud and money laundering. Michael Brian Anderson, who’s family owns of Scuba Steve’s Seafood on Highway 80, submitted multiple false claims saying he was losing thousands of dollars in his shrimping business. Investigators say Anderson wanted federal money to deal with his losses and cheated the government out of over $800,000. According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Anderson claimed to Customs & Border Protection his shrimping business expenses for 2005 to 2007 were more than $24 million. >click to read<11:56
Vessels Seized – Feds stake claim on 4 of Carlos Rafael’s boats
The government staked its claim to four of Carlos Rafael’s vessels on Wednesday. U.S. Marshals and agents from the Coast Guard Investigative Service boarded the Lady Patricia by Leonard’s Wharf, Olivia & Rafaela and the Southern Crusader II beyond Homer’s Wharf around noon. The fourth vessel, the Bull Dog, was seized at another port. The U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday the seized vessels will brought to an “undisclosed location.” For more than an hour after arriving, agents allowed anyone with personal property on the vessels to remove it. click here to read the story 08:25
As eels grow in value, US government clamps down on poaching
Law enforcement authorities have launched a crackdown on unlicensed eel fishermen and illicit sales along the East Coast.,, In Maine, more than 400 licensed fishermen make their living fishing for elvers in rivers such as the Penobscot in Brewer and the Passagassawakeag in Belfast every spring. They say law enforcement is vital to protecting the eels and the volatile industry. Randy Bushey, of Steuben, has been fishing for elvers since 1993. He said he saw his income balloon from as little as $5,000 per year in the 1990s to more than $350,000 in 2012. He said tighter quotas mean he’s earning less these days, and in the most recent season he made about $57,000. “I’ve seen the best, and I’ve seen the worst,” Steuben said. “I want to see it preserved. I want to see it straightened out.” click here to read the story 08:16
Feds interview Tangier watermen, look into oyster sales records in Crisfield
Officers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service visited several watermen on Tangier Island and seafood businesses in Crisfield last week as part of an investigation they are conducting related to oysters. Federal officials would not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation, saying that’s their policy. But Wyn Hornbuckle, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice, did confirm “federal law enforcement activity” in Crisfield and Tangier last Wednesday. Tangier Mayor James “Ooker” Eskridge said the officials came in two boats and a helicopter; at first, he said, he thought President Donald Trump had arrived. click here to read the story 12:05
LI fisherman indicted in connection with illegal fluke harvest
An East Northport commercial fisherman who was once an outspoken critic of federal regulators was indicted Tuesday on charges of conspiracy, mail fraud and falsification of federal records in connection with illegally harvest more than $400,000 worth of fluke, authorities said. A federal grand jury returned the indictment against Thomas Kokell, a North Shore clammer who once operated a commercial trawler at Point Lookout. Prosecutors with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environmental Crimes section charged Kokell was involved in a scheme to cover up the illegal harvest of 196,000 pounds of fluke by falsifying dozens of fishing trip and dealer reports, which are required as part of commercial fishing regulations. The case against Kokell was investigated by agents of the National Marine Fisheries Service. Read the rest here 09:39
Levittown fisherman admits $632G illegal catch, gets 7 months
At a hearing in U.S. District Court in Central Islip late last month,
Anthony Joseph, 51, “expressed remorse” before his sentencing, according to his lawyer, Chad Seigel of Manhattan. You are treated more equitably and fairly if you drink and drive on our roads and endanger other citizens than if you violate the fisheries rules and regulations,” said attorney Daniel Rodgers, a former Suffolk prosecutor, who is executive director of the group New York Fish of Cutchogue. Read the rest here 09:29
U.S. Department of Justice says owner of fishing vessel that fouled Penn Cove owes $2.8 million
The man convicted of abandoning his derelict vessel, which sank and spilled oil in Penn Cove in 2012, owes $2.8 million for the cost of removal and damage, the federal government said this week. Rory Westmoreland’s fishing vessel Deep Sea was illegally anchored in Whidbey Island’s Penn Cove before it caught fire, sank and spilled thousands of gallons of oil into the waters in May 2012. The spill forced the temporary closure of a nearby shellfish farm. Three years later,,, Read the rest here 11:15
UNDERCOVER OPERATION – Maine elver buyer caught in federal regulators’ net
He drove a super-sized pickup truck with “EEL WGN” plates, carried a bank bag stacked with cash and, as long as you had a bucket full of elvers, William “Billy” Sheldon didn’t care where they came from, according to documents unsealed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland. In a 42-page search warrant affidavit, federal wildlife investigators allege that for two years, Sheldon traveled between South Carolina and Maine ,. Sheldon has not been charged in the case. Read the rest here 11:13
Judge lifts ban on advocacy by Maine Lobstermen’s Association
A federal judge signed an order this week removing a ban that kept the Maine Lobstermen’s Association from discussing management of the lobster fishery. District Court Judge D. Brock Hornby signed the order July 21,,, Read more here 06:19
Rise in human trafficking impacts Hawaii – Oahu farms, Commercial fishing industry, Child Prostitution
The State Department report said forced labor on inland, coastal and deep sea fishing vessels is growing. Bryant Carvahlo, a former federal investigator with the U.S. Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, said the Hawaii commercial fishing industry is rife with the exploitation of illegal aliens. Read more here 08:06
The Maine Lobstermen’s Association seeks end to federal ban on discussions related to supply
has asked the U.S. Department of Justice for relief from a 56-year-old restriction that limits the trade group’s ability to discuss management of the fishery. Read more here 11:46
Maine Lobstermen’s Association says 54-year-old consent decree doesn’t work anymore – Read more here 14:02
Cortez’s fishy case makes its way to Supreme Court
The entire investigation is based on the testimony of a single Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission officer. Yates was acquitted of a third charge of lying to a federal investigator. A.P. Bell Fish Co. owner Karen Bell remembers the day Yates returned from grouper fishing. “John was very argumentative with the investigators,” said Bell. “The last thing you want to do is be argumentative with federal investigators.” ,,”They raided this place, and I mean full-blown SWAT teams on the roof and everything,” Bradenton.com Read more here 11:19
Narwhal tusk smuggler faces extradition hearing – Gregory Logan, of New Brunswick, may be tried in U.S. for money laundering
A New Brunswick man convicted of smuggling narwhal tusks into the United States is facing an extradition hearing in April. The U.S. Department of Justice wants to try Gregory Logan, of Woodmans Point, for money laundering. Logan’s defence lawyer Brian Greenspan described the case as “international double jeopardy” during a brief court appearance in Saint John on Monday to set a date for the hearing. Read more@cbcnews 08:31
Maine lobstermen seek relief from 1950s federal restriction
The Maine Lobstermen’s Association hopes this will be the year it gets relief from a 56-year-old federal restriction that limits what the trade group can say about the management of the state’s largest commercial fishery. The association hopes the U.S. Department of Justice will lift a consent decree that it imposed in 1958 – the year after the group lost an antitrust lawsuit that alleged it was trying to set prices paid to lobstermen. Read more@portlandpress 11:02
U.S. Department of Justice seeks to join Maine tribal lawsuit over the enforcement of fishing regulations by the State of Maine
The tribe seeks to stop Maine game wardens from policing the river and preventing tribal members from engaging in sustenance fishing. “The nation’s jurisdiction over sustenance fishing by its members in the Penobscot River is an exercise of its inherent sovereign authority, as a matter of federal law, and it remained intact; it has never been surrendered by treaty or by an act of Congress,” the lawsuit claimed. more@bdn 13:51
