ketchikan men plead guilty in halibut scheme
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7/26/2019 Ketchikan men plead guilty in halibut scheme
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NEWS RELEASEKAREN L. LOEFFLER
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY
DISTRICT OF ALASKA
James M. Fitzgerald United States Courthouse & Federal Building222 W. 7th Avenue Room 253 Anchorage, AK 99513-7567 (907) 271-5071
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jack S. Schmidt
Wednesday, December 9, 2015 Assistant U.S. Attorney
907-271-5071
KETCHIKAN RESIDENTS GUILTY OF SCHEME TO ILLEGALLY
FISH AND SELL HALIBUT
Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that on December 8, 2015,
Michael Anthony Welker, 52, Shane Christopher Widmyer, 34, David Alan Vest, 39, all residents ofKetchikan, Alaska, pled guilty in federal court in Juneau to violating the Lacey Act by illegallytransporting halibut that was caught for subsistence and sport purposes.
Each defendant pled guilty to a single count of a Lacey Act violation before United StatesMagistrate Judge Leslie Longenbaugh.
According to the information presented to the court by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack S. Schmidt,who prosecuted the case, Donald Ray Thornlow, 66, the former owner and operator of the former Narrows Inn and Restaurant in Ketchikan, Alaska, took part in a continuing scheme of knowingly purchasing subsistence and sport caught halibut for resale in his restaurant, a violation of federal
regulations. Defendants Welker, Widmyer, and Vest illegally harvested halibut for a commercial purposeusing sport fishing licenses and subsistence halibut permits. The defendants subsequently transported theillegally caught halibut and sold it to Thornlow who then sold the fish in his restaurant. The defendantswere not allowed to catch halibut for a commercial purpose because none of the defendants possessed avalid Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) permit. The defendants each admitted to transporting a portion ofthe 997 pounds of illegally-caught halibut sold by Thornlow in his restaurant from January 2012 toDecember 2013. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Vest will pay a $5,000 fine, Welker andWidmyer will pay a $3,500 fine and all defendants will be sentenced to a term of probation for threeyears. Thornlow was previously sentenced to a one year term of probation starting on October 19, 2015,and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.
Prior to imposing the sentences, Magistrate Judge Longenbaugh indicated the seriousness of theoffense and the need to deter the defendants and others, as well as the need to protect Alaska fisheryresources.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Law Enforcement, AlaskaEnforcement Division conducted the investigation leading to the charges and conviction in this case.
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Prepared by: Chloe Martin, 907-271-5071, [email protected]