The U.S. District Court docket has lately sentenced two Kentucky Males on felony costs for the unlawful harvest of paddlefish and paddlefish roe from closed waters in Mississippi. In keeping with the courtroom paperwork, James Lawrence “Lance” Freeman, 27, of Eddyville, Kentucky, and Marcus Harrell, 34, of Murray, Kentucky, pleaded responsible to the act of conspiring to violate the Lacey Act. The lads had traveled from Kentucky to Mississippi a number of occasions between November 6, 2018, and January 5, 2018. Their objective was to reap paddlefish from Moon Lake in Coahoma County, which doesn’t enable paddlefish harvest.
Freeman or Harrell would take the illegally harvested paddlefish roe again to Kentucky to promote to industrial processors. They’d declare that the paddlefish had been caught legally within the Ohio River or different locations in or close to Kentucky the place paddlefish harvest is authorized.
Freeman was sentenced on September 15, in Oxford earlier than U.S. District Choose Michael P. Mills, to six months of incarceration, adopted by 3 years of supervised launch. He was additionally ordered to pay a wonderful within the quantity of $20,000 to the Lacey Act Reward Account. Freeman, a industrial fisherman, was additionally banned from all fishing each industrial and leisure, for five years. He’s scheduled to report back to jail on November twenty eighth.
Harrell was sentenced on July 26, in Oxford earlier than U.S. District Choose Sharion Aycock, to five years of probation and ordered to pay a wonderful within the quantity of $7,500 to the Lacey Act Reward Account. Harrel, additionally a industrial fisherman, was banned from all fishing in Mississippi for five years and banned from harvesting fish roe of any species in any state for five years as nicely.
Following the sentence, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Workplace of Regulation Enforcement Assistant Director Edward Grace acknowledged, “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Workplace of Regulation Enforcement is dedicated to conducting felony investigations with the Mississippi Division of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks in an effort to preserve, shield, and improve fish, wildlife, crops and their habitats. The Workplace of Regulation Enforcement takes violations of the Lacey Act critically. The investigation involving the two defendants who had been concerned within the illegal harvest and dealing of paddlefish roe isn’t any exception. We are going to proceed to work carefully with our state companions to conduct these necessary joint investigations.”
“I’m extraordinarily happy with these Officers for his or her laborious work and dedication they put forth in bringing these violators to justice,” remarked Col. Jerry Carter of the Mississippi Division of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. “Thanks for the joint effort by all companies State and Federal that had been concerned, it really sends a message that illegal acts reminiscent of this won’t be tolerated in our state and that we are going to use all of the manpower and tools accessible to guard our pure assets.”
U.S. Lawyer Clay Joyner of the Northern District of Mississippi and Edward Grace, Assistant Director of the Workplace of Regulation Enforcement for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made the announcement.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigated the case, together with the Mississippi Division of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks.
